Since recently, different embassies have been bombarding their nationals with overblown travel advisories urging them to immediately leave Ethiopia. These highly-exaggerated yet incendiary calls spearheaded by the United States aim to sow confusion and commotion in the capital. Equally true, the propagandas have also another sinister objective which is to lionize the ragtag terrorist groups of TPLF and OLF-Shene and undermine the capability of the federal government.
Most of the travel advisories try to paint that Addis Ababa is facing imminent threats and that it may fall on the hands of the groups any time soon. Implicitly, what the countries trying to do is to cast doubt on the capability of the government in defending the capital city.
Defying the coordinated misinformation campaigns; foreigners are continuing to lead a stable life in Ethiopia. Reports of CNN “the capital is under siege” and the economist “the capital is under threat” coupled with US government urgency for its citizens to leave Ethiopia however aren’t also producing the intended result. In fact, there are still Americans and other nationals paying a visit to Ethiopia.
Paradoxically, U.S’s overblown advisories are being defied by its citizens. A team of U.S. missionaries is among visitors who dared the travel warnings and see themselves the peace and security of Ethiopia. The team consisting of 52 American Christians arrived four days before to attend church service with Ethiopian believers and visit places both in the capital as well as in parts of the country. On their departure on Monday, the missionaries told The Ethiopian Herald that the situation in the country is quite opposite to what is portrayed by the media and the U.S. embassy’s statement in Ethiopia.
Flame of Fire of Missionary Director Eliana Mikhaylishin did not hide the fact that she was alarmed by media reports and US travel advisory but during her visit, she found it all untrue.
“If you go in the embassy website, it says don’t go. It is in red. It says don’t travel at all. It is absolutely not true. It is very safe very peaceful nothing to worry about. I would tell anyone with plans to visit Ethiopia to come without security concerns. It is very safe to come here. The News isn’t portraying the country in the right way.” She emphasized “anyone who what to know about Ethiopia must come and see it with their own eyes. It is questionable what to trust the American government and the media we don’t know what to trust. But I encourage see it themselves here. It is all safe.”
Flame of Fire Ministry CEO Andrey Shapoval says on his part that there is misunderstanding around the world about Ethiopia. “There is peace in Ethiopia. There is peace in the capital and Arba Minch where I was. Everything is peaceful. So, I am sure there is a lot of misunderstanding through the media around the world. But what we see we here in Addis everything is peaceful. I am here right now. I am a witness. I came here with fifty more people to Addis. I am sitting here right now in the middle of the city. I can testify there is peace here, so come and enjoy this country.”
Member of the team David Kova said they had a fruitful time as they perform church service and had a joyous time with local people. He went on encouraging other Americans to visit Ethiopia. “We came here. We weren’t sure exactly where the war was. We had a big group. Some people go ahead of us and it is a lot different from what media portray it to be. It is an awesome time. I love it. I enjoyed it. Beautiful people beautiful place. We were in Arba Minch. We were at church preaching about the gospel. It is an awesome time to help people in need. We blessed people with rice, blankets, and candies. We had fun with the kids, played soccer. It was a great time. It is safe to be here. Come through; check out the city and the people.”
Another member of the group Ruslon Ponomarenero stressed that there hasn’t been any security threat in the capital or as far as Arba Minch they have stayed for days. “We have been too different areas. We are keeping safe. I don’t see any threat. I don’t.” As for the coordinators’ timetable, they have a plan to come back in March. Members of the team say it is worth coming back. The missionaries say upon their return, they would try to let people know that Ethiopia is peaceful, the capital is safe and many parts of the country are peaceful. Andrey says: “I love this country. I love these people. So always when we come home, we speak highly about Ethiopia. We recommend everybody to come here. Visit this country and be part of this nation.”
These testimonies of the missionaries are therefore unparalleled with much of western media reports and U.S. travel advisory reports. They disputed reports which are much exaggerated and far from the context on the ground. But there is no denying that there is conflict in the northern part of the country. And this too as Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States Fitsum Arega has been contained and presents no threat to the capital. The ambassador in his interview with Sputnik, Washington-based newspaper aid the US and other countries’ urgency for citizens to leave isn’t realistic. “Addis Ababa is safe and secure as always. There is no need for alarm. People are living their normal lives. It makes no sense to urge ‘evacuations.’ What we have seen in other parts of the world with people clambering to hold onto planes to make an escape recently is far from occurring in Ethiopia.”
Ambassador Fistum noted that Americans and other foreigners are not rushing to leave the country amid a two-week-long general call for evacuation of US citizens by the embassy in Addis Ababa.
“Commercial plane seats are always available but no one is rushing to leave, but the US government trying to convince by every means possible including paying for their airfare but no takers.”
With an area of 114 million square kilometers, Ethiopia is as large as France and Spain combined and is five times the size of the UK. So, it would be illogical to upsize an incident that happened in one part of the country to describe every aspect of the nation. It will also be expected for conflicts or accidents to happen as it is a nation of more than hundred people. But for now, these missionaries are firsthand witnesses that the capital and much of Ethiopia is still peaceful and open for visitors wishing to enjoy historical and religious places, cultural sites as well as marvelous landscapes of Ethiopia.
BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD NOVEMBEBER 16/2021
