The Council of Ministers called on the Dutch people in Ethiopia “urgently” to leave the country. The outgoing Minister Knabeh said there are enough commercial flights available for this purpose. The State Department has previously warned about the situation in the East African country, but that encouragement goes further. Kanaben said that the ministry is monitoring the situation day after day and that “we have now reached the next stage.”

A war has long erupted in Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Army rebels say they are closing in on the capital, Addis Ababa. Countries such as the United States, France and Germany have also called on their citizens to leave Ethiopia.

Only “core staff” at the Dutch embassy is still present. The rest of the staff and their relatives have already returned to the Netherlands.

red code

Moreover, the red code now applies to all of Ethiopia. This means that traveling to the country is highly not recommended.

At the moment, Knapen does not intend to pay for tickets for Dutch people who want to go home: “If there are big problems, we are always ready to lend a hand. But now people can apply for funding, while we have long known what It is the situation in Addis Ababa, we think it is a bit premature.”

Journalists have not had access to Ethiopia’s Tigray for a long time, but reporter Ellis van Gelder was allowed into the area last summer: