
STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORY - Ethiopia
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ETHIOPIA - WARNING
 June 3, 1992

Summary:  The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to defer
travel to the provinces of Hararghe and Wellega due to political
tensions, and to exercise caution in general when traveling to
Ethiopia.  Increased political and ethnic tension and the absence of
police authority have resulted in a general increase in crime.
Highway travel has become increasingly hazardous due to banditry and
the presence of land mines.  U.S. citizens traveling to Asmara, in
Eritrea, should be aware of difficulties in obtaining consular
assistance.  Seagoing vessels require permits issued in advance to
enter Eritrean territorial waters.  End Summary.

U.S. citizens are urged to defer travel to the entire province of
Hararghe, including the towns of Dire Dawa, Harar, and Jijiga, due
to armed confrontations between opposing political groups.  Relief
organizations have suspended operations in this area due to the
killing of relief workers, violence on roads, and tense relations
between ethnic groups.

U.S. citizens are further urged to defer travel to the western
parts of the province of Wellega.  Armed units owing allegiance to
the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and forces of the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPDRF), Ethiopia's national
army, periodically clash.

Other Provinces:  Banditry has increased in Ethiopia.  Travel by
road outside major towns or cities may result in violent attack.
Several foreigners have been attacked, and at least two have been
killed, in recent incidents of highway violence.

Highway travelers are advised that land mines and other
anti-personnel devices litter the Ethiopian countryside,
particularly alongside major roads.  Many persons, including some
foreigners, have been injured by these devices.

Addis Ababa:  Businesses, banks, embassies and offices in the
capital continue to keep normal hours.  Local and international
schools are open and operating normally.  The international airport
has operated without interruption since the change of regimes.
Violent crime is increasing, particularly armed robbery of homes in
affluent neighborhoods, including embassy residences and missionary
compounds.  The 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. curfew has recently been lifted,
but visitors should exercise caution when traveling at night.  In
the first week of April, bombs exploded in two hotels which cater to
the Ethiopian middle class.

Domestic and international air services generally operate on
schedule.  Four domestic flights have recently been hijacked to
neighboring countries, but the incidents ended quickly without
injuries or fatalities.  Frequent fuel shortages can make travel
difficult outside of Addis Ababa.  Credit cards are not widely
accepted in Ethiopia, so travelers should plan accordingly.  U.S.
citizens must obtain an Ethiopian visa at an Ethiopian embassy
abroad prior to arrival.  Airport visas are no longer available to
travelers who start their travel in or pass through a country where
an Ethiopian diplomatic mission is located.

Travelers to Asmara in Eritrea should be cautioned that U.S.
consular officials may not be able to provide the sort of assistance
in cases involving arrests and welfare and whereabouts of U.S.
citizens that is available in Addis Ababa or elsewhere in Ethiopia,
nor provide it quickly.  Eritrean authorities strictly enforce their
rights in territiorial waters, and arrest those fishing illegally or
entering restricted maritime zones.  The provisional government of
Eritrea has announced that it will confiscate any vessel found in
Eritrean territorial waters without a permit issued in advance, and
will prosecute the persons found aboard such vessels.  Public
telecommunications now link Eritrea to the U.S., but to no other
countries.  Travelers from the U.S. must obtain travel permits to
Eritrea from the Washington, D.C. office of the EPLF.  Daily flights
between Addis Ababa and Asmara are heavily booked.

All U.S. citizens are urged to register with the U.S. Embassy upon
arrival in Ethiopia to receive updated security information.  The
Embassy is located on Entoto Avenue, a ten minute taxi ride north of
the city center and major hotels.  Telephone numbers are 550-666,
extension 316/317/336: emergency/after hours, 552-558.

 No. 92-118

This replaces the travel advisory dated May 6, 1992, to advise of
the lifting of the curfew in Addis Ababa and to add a warning that
vessels planning to enter Eritrean territorial waters require
permits that must be obtained in advance.


