Zambians Evacuated As Ethiopia Teeters On Edge of Civil War

Zambian citizens living in Ethiopia are being evacuated from the country as the United Nations warns it is at risk of descending into a full-blown civil war.  

Earlier today, the Zambian government chartered an Ethiopian airlines commercial aircraft in order to evacuate citizens living in the capital, Addis Ababa. 

One such citizen, Brenda Chikwe Helen Mofya, shared her joy over the airlift on social media, praising President Hakainde Hichilema for his decisive action.

“Bally is the one,” she wrote. “He won’t charter plane for his presidential trips but charters one to rescue citizens in #Ethiopia. Leadership!”

Her comments refer to President Hichilema’s recent trips to New York and Glasgow, for which he booked seats on a commercial flight rather than using the presidential jet. 

The post was shared by activist Laura Miti, who similarly tweeted: “I guess when we do not spend billion on the President and Ministers, there is money to take care of citizens.” 

The evacuation comes as Ethiopia teeters on the edge of outright civil war over the worsening conflict in the Tigray region. 

According to the UN’s head of political and peace-building affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, no aid trucks have reached Tigray’s capital Mekelle since October, despite seven million people being in urgent need of food aid. 400,000 of these people are already living under famine-like conditions. 

The UN’s Security Council has called for troops and militias to withdraw from the area to enable access to much needed food and medicine. 

Speaking to the council yesterday, the African Union’s envoy to the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, said he had met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the leader of the Tigray region Debretsion Gebremichael. He said both sides had agreed the conflict was political but there had been no mention of direct talks.