Ethiopia Travel Advisory: U.S. Embassy Advises Against Travel to Doolo Zone After Possible Threats to Foreigners

ETHIOPIA — The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa said on September 16 that it is aware of possible threats to foreigners, including U.S. citizens, in Doolo Zone, also spelled Dollo Zone, of the Somali Region.

The embassy said U.S. government personnel are no longer permitted to travel to Doolo Zone without special authorization and advised U.S. citizens not to travel there. It told citizens to avoid the area, stay alert, avoid crowds, keep contingency plans to leave, and review personal security plans.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) country rating for Ethiopia remained Level 3: Reconsider Travel. DOS last restated that nationwide level on April 1, with an August 27 embassy republication that said there was no change to the advisory level or risk indicators and that areas of increased risk were modified to reflect current travel restrictions for U.S. embassy personnel.

The United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) already advises against all but essential travel to Dollo, previously Warder, and against all travel within 62 miles (100 km) of the Ethiopia-Somalia and Ethiopia-Kenya borders in the rest of the Somali Region.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) advises travelers to reconsider the need to travel to Ethiopia overall and not to travel to Somali Regional State border areas with Somalia and Kenya.

Global Affairs Canada advises travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Ethiopia overall and to avoid all travel within 62 miles (100 km) of the Somali Region border with Somalia and Kenya.

Doolo Zone sits on Ethiopia’s far-eastern Somali Region salient against Somalia, so the new U.S. zone-specific warning overlaps belts the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada already mark at their highest or near-highest wording. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) continued to show scheduled international arrivals and departures on September 17.

Advisory Levels

• United States, Department of State: Level 3: Reconsider Travel for Ethiopia overall, due to unrest, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, landmines, communications disruptions, and exit bans, restated April 1 with no level change on the August 27 embassy republication. Separate September 16 embassy security alert: U.S. citizens advised not to travel to Doolo Zone. DOS uses a four-level scale from Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, to Level 4, Do Not Travel.

• United Kingdom, FCDO: Advises against all travel to parts of Ethiopia and against all but essential travel to other parts, including Dollo (previously Warder). Page last updated May 29 and marked still current on September 16. FCDO uses wording rather than numbered levels.

• Australia, DFAT: Reconsider your need to travel to Ethiopia overall, updated August 21 and marked still current on September 17. Do not travel to Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Gambela regional states and to parts of Amhara and Somali regional states, including border areas with Somalia and Kenya. DFAT uses four categories from Exercise Normal Safety Precautions to Do Not Travel.

• Canada, Global Affairs Canada: Avoid non-essential travel to Ethiopia due to civil unrest, violence, fuel shortages, armed conflict, and crime, last updated September 9 at 10:13 a.m. Eastern Time. Addis Ababa is listed separately as Exercise a high degree of caution. Canada uses four categories from Take Normal Security Precautions to Avoid All Travel.

• Change History: Nationwide U.S. Level 3 held through the April 1 and August 27 updates. April 1 added exit bans and communications disruptions to the “other” risk indicator without changing the level. August 27 modified personnel restriction areas without changing the level. September 16 added a Doolo Zone personnel travel bar and a citizen warning. No matching United Kingdom, Australian, or Canadian Doolo-named notice was published on September 16 or 17.

• Regional Variations: All four governments rate parts of Ethiopia more severely than Addis Ababa. United States: Do Not Travel listings on the August 27 text include Tigray and the Eritrea border, specified Afar areas, Amhara, Gambella, Benishangul Gumuz, most of Oromia except Bishoftu and Bale Mountains National Park, specified areas of Central, South, and Southwest Ethiopia, specified Somali Region areas, and border belts with Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and Eritrea. United Kingdom: against all travel to Tigray, Amhara, Gambela, listed Oromia zones, Metekel and Maokomo in Benishangul-Gumuz, and the 62-mile (100 km) Somali Region border belt with Somalia and Kenya, among other belts. Australia: Do Not Travel for Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela, parts of Amhara and Somali, and the Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan borders. Exercise a high degree of caution for Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Canada: Avoid all travel to Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Tigray, Gambella, listed Oromia zones, and the 62-mile (100 km) Somali Region border with Somalia and Kenya.

Regional Breakdown

• Doolo Zone (Dollo / previously Warder), Somali Region: U.S. Embassy, September 16: possible threats to foreigners, U.S. personnel barred without special authorization, U.S. citizens advised not to travel. FCDO: against all but essential travel to Dollo, and against all travel within 62 miles (100 km) of the Somalia and Kenya borders in the rest of the Somali Region. DFAT: do not travel to Somali Regional State border areas with Somalia and Kenya, reconsider travel to the remainder of the Somali Regional State. Canada: avoid all travel within 62 miles (100 km) of the Somali Region border with Somalia and Kenya.

• Other Somali Region zones: U.S. August 27 text: do not travel to Liban, Afder, Shabele, and Korahe. FCDO: against all but essential travel to Siti, Nogob (previously Fik), Jarar (previously Degehabur), Shabelle (previously Gode), Korahe, and interior parts of Liben and Afder more than 62 miles (100 km) from the Somalia and Kenya borders. FCDO cites local instability, lawlessness, military activity, banditry, and insurgent groups, some affiliated with terrorist organizations.

• Addis Ababa: DOS describes the capital as stable relative to the rest of the country. DFAT: exercise a high degree of caution. Canada: exercise a high degree of caution because of crime and the risk that demonstrations turn violent. U.S. personnel still need authorization for most travel outside the city.

• Tigray, Amhara, Afar belts, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, and large parts of Oromia: All four governments keep these on Do Not Travel, against all travel, or avoid all travel lists for armed conflict, unrest, crime, or kidnapping. These are separate from the Doolo alert. FCDO records a civilian flight suspension to Tigray since January 29.

• International border belts: United States: within about 31 miles (50 km) of the Somalia border for terrorism, kidnapping, and landmines on older country-page language, with the August 27 text still listing the Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and Eritrea borders as Do Not Travel. United Kingdom and Canada use 62-mile (100 km) Somalia and Kenya belts in the Somali Region, plus shorter belts on other frontiers.

Entry Requirements

• A visa is required for U.S., UK, Australian, and Canadian visitors. Ethiopia’s Immigration and Citizenship Service issues tourist e-visas at the official portal evisa.gov.et.

• Tourist e-visa fees on that portal: single-entry 30 days, $62, and single-entry 90 days, $152. Stated processing time is 3 days under normal circumstances.

• Passport validity required on the official e-visa site: at least 6 months from the intended date of entry, plus a color passport scan and a color passport-size photograph.

• Visa validity starts from the intended entry date, not the issue date, per the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa page pointing to the same portal.

• Yellow fever certificate: required for entry when arriving from a country with yellow fever transmission risk, including a layover longer than 12 hours in such a country, per CDC country-entry language. Not required for direct travel from the United States.

• DOS country information states that travelers without a valid visa will be denied entry and that overstay fines accrue daily and must be paid in U.S. dollars before an exit visa is issued.

• These entry figures are those published on the official e-visa tourist page and the DOS country page and are older than 30 days except where the portals themselves carry no later amendment.

Emergency Resources

• U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Entoto Road (also listed as Entoto Street), P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa. Telephone +251 11 130 6000. Embassy alert emergency lines: 251111307900 for U.S. citizens with emergencies and for calls from outside Ethiopia, and 251111306000 outside office hours. Email AddisACS@state.gov. From the United States or Canada: +1-888-407-4747. From Ethiopia or overseas: +1-202-501-4444. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at step.state.gov for alert delivery.

• British Embassy Addis Ababa, Comoros Street, P.O. Box 858, Addis Ababa. FCDO states staff cannot offer in-person support in areas where FCDO advises against travel. Urgent help from the United Kingdom: +44 20 7008 5000. Official contact route on the current embassy page is the FCDO online form.

• Australian Embassy Addis Ababa, Turkish compound off Cape Verde Street, Bole Subcity, Woreda 3, P.O. Box 3715. Telephone +251 11 6672651, +251 11 6672652, +251 11 6672693, +251 11 6672694. Email Consular.AddisAbaba@dfat.gov.au. Consular Emergency Centre: +61 2 6261 3305. DFAT states consular assistance in “do not travel” areas is extremely limited.

• Embassy of Canada in Addis Ababa, Sarbet, Lideta Kifle Ketema, Wereda 08, House no. 122, P.O. Box 1130. Telephone +251 11 317 0000. Email consul.addis@international.gc.ca. Canada states consular assistance is limited in some regions.

Official Statements

• U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, September 16: “The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is aware of possible threats to foreigners, including U.S. citizens, in Doolo Zone (also spelled Dollo Zone) of the Somali Region in Ethiopia. Due to increased risks to foreigners traveling in Doolo Zone, U.S. government personnel are no longer permitted to travel to Doolo Zone without special authorization. U.S. citizens are advised not to travel to Doolo Zone.”

• U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Travel Advisory republication, August 27: “Reconsider travel to Ethiopia due to unrest, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, landmines, communications disruptions, and exit bans. Some areas have increased risk.”

• U.S. Department of State, Ethiopia Travel Advisory, April 1: “There was no change to the advisory level. The “other” risk indicator was updated to include exit bans and communication disruptions. The advisory summary was updated.”

• U.S. Department of State, Ethiopia Travel Advisory, April 1: “The security situation in Addis Ababa is stable. However, there is sporadic violent armed conflict and civil unrest in other areas of Ethiopia.”

• FCDO, Ethiopia regional risks: “There is local instability, lawlessness, military activity and a general risk of banditry in Somali region. Insurgent groups, some affiliated with terrorist organisations, have clashed with government forces. Foreigners have been caught up in the violence or targeted.”

• FCDO, Ethiopia safety and security: “Terrorist group Al-Shabaab, based in Somalia, poses a threat across East Africa. The group threatens all countries who have military forces in Somalia, including Ethiopia.”

• DFAT, Ethiopia travel advice, still current September 17: “We continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to Ethiopia overall. Other levels apply in some areas. Do not travel to Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela Regional States and parts of Amhara and Somali Regional States due to the security situation including the risk of terrorist attacks, kidnapping, civil unrest and armed conflict.”

• Global Affairs Canada, Ethiopia travel advice, September 9: “Avoid non-essential travel to Ethiopia due to civil unrest, violence, fuel shortages, armed conflict and crime. The security situation can deteriorate without warning.”