Travel · Official advice · 3 November 2026
FCDO updates travel advice for Ethiopia border zones
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has published updated travel advice for specific areas in Ethiopia. The guidance details the distances from various borders where all travel is advised against. These restrictions cover regions near Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has updated its travel advice regarding areas in Ethiopia. The new guidance specifies the distances from international borders and internal regional boundaries where the department advises against all travel. These updates cover multiple zones and regions across the country.
Travelers are advised to avoid areas within 20km of the Sudan border and 10km of the South Sudan border. The guidance also prohibits all travel within 10km of the Kenya border, with specific exceptions for the Addis Ababa to Moyale road and Moyale itself. In the Somali region, the exclusion zone extends 100km from the borders with Somalia and Kenya.
The advice includes specific restrictions for the Tigray and Amhara regions, where all travel is discouraged. In the Afar region, travelers should avoid areas within 50km of the Tigray boundary and 20km of the Eritrea border. Figures from the announcement also cite a 30km distance from the Somalia border in the Fafan zone.
The guidance applies to the Central, Southern, Sidama and South West regions, prohibiting travel within 10km of the South Sudan and Kenya borders. For the Oromia region, the restriction covers areas within 10km of the Kenya border. The department has not stated any specific time limits for when these restrictions will be reviewed or lifted.
Written by StreetOwl from Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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