ESAT News (October 27, 2016)
The state of emergency declared in Ethiopia early this month has created unease and casted a shadow over the upcoming African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.
A number of African countries have been in discussions with the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia on the implications of the emergency law on the Summit, it was learnt.
The six month state of emergency bans diplomats from traveling beyond 40 kms (25 miles) radius from the capital but it is not clear if the law would still be enforced when the AU heads of state summit takes place in Addis Ababa in January.
The U.S. State Department last week issued a travel warning for Ethiopia. The move by the U.S. in issuing the warning has lead other countries to issue similar warnings to their citizens against travelling to the east African country that’s plagued by turmoil.
Ethiopian government spokesperson Getachew Reda, reacted to the travel warning by the U.S. saying it does not reflect the reality in Ethiopia.