Saudi embassy in Ethiopia asks citizens to leave country amid unrest

News of rebel groups’ alliance has raised concerns

A damaged tank on a road north of Mekele, the capital of the northern Tigray region, in February. Fighting between government forces and rebels from the region has intensified. Photo: AFP

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Ethiopia has called on its citizens to leave the African country immediately.

The embassy asked Saudi citizens to leave “in light of the current circumstances” in Ethiopia, after fighting intensified between government forces and rebels from the northern Tigray region who could advance on the capital.

Saudis were urged to contact the embassy in case of an emergency.

The US followed suit and ordered non-emergency government employees to leave Ethiopia, its embassy in Addis Ababa said on Saturday.

“Incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence are occurring without warning. The situation may escalate further and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts and travel disruptions,” the embassy said.

‘Existential war’

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday, saying it was locked in an “existential war” with forces from Tigray and their allies.

On Saturday, Mr Abiy said Ethiopia must be ready to make sacrifices to “salvage” the country.

A day earlier, nine rebel groups said they would form an alliance built around the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which has been locked in a year-long war against government forces.

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  Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP

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  Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021.

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  Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan.

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  A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray.

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  People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa.

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  An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan.

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  Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray.

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  A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence.

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  Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes.

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  Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray.

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  Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray.

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  Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

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  People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia.

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  A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray.

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  Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray.

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  Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year.

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  An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre.

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  Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin.

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  The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.

TPLF representative Berhane Gebre-Christos said the alliance aimed to “remove the regime”, as he signed the agreement in Washington.

On Saturday, Mr Abiy tweeted that “there are sacrifices to be made, but those sacrifices will salvage Ethiopia”.

“We have seen the tests and obstacles and it made us stronger. We have more allies than the people who turned their backs on us.”

Rebel advance continues

Last weekend, the TPLF said it had taken two strategic cities in the northern Amhara region, where its fighters advanced after retaking Tigray in June.

The conflict in the north of Ethiopia started a year ago when forces loyal to the TPLF seized military bases in the Tigray region.

In response, Mr Abiy sent in forces that initially drove the TPLF out of the regional capital of Mekele, but that have faced a sharp reversal in fortunes since June this year.

The US has said it is “gravely concerned” about the fighting and called for a halt to military operations in favour of ceasefire talks.

On Friday, the UN Security Council expressed alarm about the worsening conflict in Ethiopia.