Recently, the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia issued a notice advising Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to, passing through, or engaging in other activities in the Tigray, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, northern and western Oromia, Somali, and Afar regions of Ethiopia for the time being. It is essential to remain vigilant about safety risks. Individuals and institutions already in these areas should closely monitor the situation, stay highly alert, enhance security measures and emergency preparedness, and ensure personal and property safety.

It is understood that the conflict is primarily a civil war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government forces. The TPLF is a left-wing political party composed of people from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray Region. Tensions arose when the TPLF proceeded with a regional election despite orders from the Ethiopian authorities to refrain, leading to the outbreak of civil war. The conflict has lasted for several years, and although a peace agreement was reached between the warring parties in 2022, violent incidents have continued to occur.

Subsequently, Ethiopia entered a period of development, but long-standing land disputes evolved into persistent violent conflicts, prompting large-scale protests across the country. This eventually led to the dissolution of the ruling party, and conflicts arose between the new democratically elected government and the TPLF, reigniting the civil war.

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In addition to affecting agricultural exports, it has also impacted the country’s tourism industry. In Ethiopia’s Amhara region, the ongoing war has exacerbated a severe economic crisis in the historic town of Lalibela, which has long relied on tourism as its main source of income. Due to the conflict and other factors, the number of tourists has been continuously declining, leading to a sharp drop in visitors to local hotels, cafés, and shops—many of which have been forced to close. Numerous employees have chosen to leave the area or emigrate to other countries.

Moreover, Ethiopia is recognized as the birthplace of coffee and is home to over ten thousand coffee varieties, attracting many coffee traders and coffee scouts to the country. Although the conflict is occurring in the north of the capital, there have been multiple recent incidents of kidnappings near the capital, posing potential risks even to traders traveling to the south. Therefore, in accordance with the advice of the embassy, it is currently recommended to avoid travel to high-risk areas in Ethiopia or engaging in other activities there. Individuals and institutions already in the country are advised to closely monitor the situation, remain vigilant, strengthen security measures and emergency preparedness, and ensure personal and property safety. In case of emergencies, contact local authorities immediately and report to the embassy for assistance.