The group of 18 Spanish tourists trapped in a pension in the Amhara region – in northern Ethiopia – between the fire of the Ethiopian army and the Fano militias were fine yesterday, but, according to sources close to the group, they have every time of less food – essentially rice – and drinking water, which they have to bring from outside the pension.
The pension is in the conflict zone. The trapped tourists, according to this witness to La Vanguardia, hear the shots, see the barricades and have seen corpses, but they have not been mistreated. They are confined without being able to get out.
Spain is in contact with the Ethiopian authorities, international organizations in the area and other embassies to “find a coordinated solution” to rescue the tourists, most of them Catalan, trapped in the pension for eight days.
Foreign sources have detailed that the Spanish embassy in Addis Ababa is in “permanent contact” with the tourists trapped in the Amhara region, and is trying to coordinate a safe exit from the area.
A state of emergency has been in force throughout Amhara since Friday 4 August due to the extreme insecurity situation, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised all travelers to avoid travel to the area and, in if they are there, stay at the hotel and contact the embassy.
The airports of Lalibela, Gondar and Desse are inoperative and road communications suffer from constant blockages.
The group of Spaniards is staying in a boarding house where they sought refuge when they were surprised by the armed clashes between the State security forces and the Fano militias. These militias are a heterogeneous armed group that collaborated with Amhara militias during the last Tigray war until their relationship deteriorated due to disagreements over regional security management.
The area is one of the most touristic in Ethiopia, so there are more groups of Europeans stuck in different localities, specifically quite a few French and Italians. The Spanish tourists were taking a route with the Kananga agency, a company based in Barcelona that organizes trips by truck to 30 countries in Africa. A spokesman for Kananga has explained that the group has “enough” water and food, and is in good condition.
The central government of Ethiopia has recognized that in recent days it has lost control of several areas in the Amhara region, now in the hands of the Fano militia.
