Foreign Ministry: Travel warning against visiting Gondar, Ethiopia
Following the deaths of two protesters in the Ethiopian city of Gondar, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has warned Israeli travelers from visiting the city; land reform protests have also spread to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Additionally, two protesters were killed in clashes with police in the old city of Gondar over land disputes Friday. The Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem issued a travel warning for Israelis against travelling to the city. The city was the center for Ethiopian Jewry, and many Israelis travel there to see what Jewish life was like in the east African nation.
On Saturday, Hundreds of people gathered in Mescal square in the center of Addis Ababa only to be dispursed by the police. Protests also broke out in the towns of Waliso and Ambo, both in Oromiya province. Eyewitness reports say that soldiers closed the roads and shot in the air. There is a large university in Ambo.
There are reports that the internet in Addis Ababa has been cut. It is not yet clear if this is due to the government.
There have been several protests in the central Oromiya province of the country demonstrating against a plan to annex some of the territory in order to expand the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa.
The catalyst for demonstrations in Ethiopia is a controversial land development plan put forth by the Ethiopian government which was designed to help investment and industrialize the Ethiopian agriculture sector. Small protests erupted when the plan was originally developed in 2014.
The plans were shelved following fierce opposition from the residents of the area, yet there are continued protests due to alleged violations of human rights. The protestors want people arrested during the demonstrations to be freed.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has also called upon Israelis in Ethiopia to remain alert in cities in central and southern Ethiopia and to stay away from protests. The ministry also suggests staying more than ten kilometers away from the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, the Ethiopian-Sudanese border, the Ethiopian-South Sudanese border, and the Ethiopian-Kenyan border.
