US orders non-emergency officials out of Ethiopia amid conflict

The United States ordered non-emergency officials to leave Ethiopia on Friday due to the ongoing armed conflict and possible supply shortages. 

In a security alert, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa said that incidents of unrest and ethnic violence were “occurring without warning.”

“The situation may escalate further and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts, and travel disruptions,” the advisory said.

The advisory amid concerns from the U.S. about the embattled nation. The Ethiopian government has continued to engage in its year-long battle against the opposition Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as rebel forces inched closer to Addis Ababa, the country’s capital city. 

Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, visited the nation on Thursday. Earlier in the week, he said situation was “getting worse … and we are, frankly, alarmed by the situation.”

A report from the United Nations has accused all sides in the war of being involved with “extreme brutality,” like torture, killings and ethnically targeted arrests of civilians.

The Biden administration said Tuesday that it is ending Ethiopia’s involvement in a trade pact — the African Growth and Opportunity Act — due to human rights violations.

On Wednesday, the State Department urged that nongovernment employees and their families to voluntarily leave Ethiopia because of the conflict. The State Department currently has a “do not travel” advisory for Ethiopia due to the conflict.

Reuters reported that Italy and Denmark have asked their citizens in Ethiopia to leave while commercial flights are available.