Swiss nationals advised to leave Ethiopia

Soldiers parade with national flags attached to their rifles at a rally in Addis Ababa on November 7 Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Switzerland has become the latest country to ask its citizens to leave Ethiopia, as the security situation worsens in the east African country.

“The foreign ministry advises against travelling to Ethiopia for any reason,” it told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

“It also recommends that Swiss nationals in Ethiopia leave the country by their own means.”

The ministry advised people to leave Ethiopia using available commercial flights.

There are 230 Swiss citizens in Ethiopia registered with the country’s embassy in Addis Ababa, the vast majority of whom live in the country. Around 20 have left since the beginning of November.

Ethiopia is a priority country in Switzerland’s regional strategy for international cooperation for the Horn of Africa 2018-2021, according to the foreign ministryExternal link.

Long-standing conflict

Germany urged its nationals on Tuesday to leave Ethiopia on the first available commercial flights, joining France and the United States, which have also told their citizens to leave immediately.

The United Nations is “temporarily relocating” families of international staff from Ethiopia due to the security situation, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Tuesday, adding that UN personnel would remain in the country.

The moves come as rival Tigray forces continue pushing towards Addis Ababa in a long-standing conflict.

The Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, on Monday announced he would lead “from the battlefield” in a war that is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people.