Tigrayan women at a market in Hawzen (file photo). Safaricom has evacuated some of its employees from Ethiopia because of armed conflict and civil unrest in what could disrupt the firm’s operations in the populous nation.
Safaricom, whose consortium aims to start operations in Ethiopia next year, got the employees out of the country on Wednesday and Friday.
A number of nations, including the United States, Denmark and Italy, have asked their citizens in Ethiopia to leave while commercial flights were still available, as Tigrayan rebel forces and their allies advanced towards the capital Addis Ababa.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, which has been embroiled in a year-long war against the Tigrayan forces, has promised to keep fighting despite calls for a ceasefire from African nations, Western states and the UN Security Council.
"All our staff are safe. A number have been evacuated from Ethiopia on a temporary basis whilst we assess the situation," said a top official at Safaricom, who sought anonymity.
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