Conflict

I am borrowing this info from Habesha Child.

Ethiopia seems to be surrounded by conflict and the latest violence in Kenya is just one more to add to the list, I’m sorry to say.
If you think about Ethiopia’s neighbors, it starts to sound pretty scary:

On Ethiopia’s Eastern border lies Somalia - tons of violence and conflict there.

Depending on your politics, you could count the next bordering country as self-declared state of Somaliland. Again - high conflict, high violence.

Just north of Somalia / Somaliland on Ethiopia’s border is the tiny nation of Djibouti - probably the only stable place around right now. Thank God, because it’s Ethiopia’s primary access to a seaport at this point (Kenya’s Mombassa is an alternative, but Eritrea does not allow Ethiopia to use its ports).

Continuing counterclockwise, the next country is Eritrea, to Ethiopia’s North - bad news here. Ethiopia and Eritrea have increasingly hostile relations, and are on the brink of another war over the long-contested border between them.

To the West, we find Sudan. The site of perhaps the worst genocidal violence in the world right now. ‘nuf said.

Finally, to the South, Kenya. (Lots of tribal violence at this time.)


While I am not particularly concerned about our safety while in Ethiopia, I will ask you to pray for safety for us in our travels to and from Ethiopia, and while we are there. Addis Ababa recently hosted the African Union summit, and is considered a safe and stable place. But anything can change.

So pray for us. But more importantly, please pray for my Ethiopian daughter, as she waits for her Momma in a land surrounded by conflict. And pray for the children of these nations whose lives are being cut short by grown-ups who can't find a way to peacefully resolve thier conflicts.

So you see? The whole thing in Kenya conflict starts to sound pretty tame, although I’m sure that’s not the case for people there.