This development comes hours after the United States called on all its citizens to leave Ethiopia “as soon as possible.”
A statement posted on the website of the US embassy in Addis Ababa, on Friday, said: “The security situation in Ethiopia is not completely clear. We advise American citizens who are in Ethiopia to leave the country as soon as possible.”
For its part, “Foreign Policy” magazine said that the task force will also oversee the departure of US citizens who are currently in Ethiopia.
The magazine considered that the latest move reflects the extent to which US policymakers are concerned that conflicts in Ethiopia between the central government and Tigray forces in the north could threaten the capital, Addis Ababa, even as senior Ethiopian officials have dismissed these concerns as disinformation used by the rebels.
The US State Department’s decision to form an evacuation team comes after the embassy allowed the voluntary exit of some embassy employees and their families from the capital this week.
These measures reflect growing concerns in Washington about Ethiopia’s stability, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
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