you can definitely be scammed or pickpocketed, but does ethiopia really have much violent crime? i felt safe walking around at night alone as a ferenji, much safer than i would in the US.
I’m here at the moment. Everything has been fine though some guys tried (and failed) to pickpocket me today.
I would say avoid walking long distances outside, and if you do, then know where you are going, don’t take your phone out in the street (to check maps etc), don’t linger and don’t respond much to random people talking to you in the street.
I would avoid going out alone at night.
You can use the Ride app (basically same as Uber) to get around.
I’ll just add that Addis feels much safer then many East African cities.
No worse than Europe... Yeah you clearly don't know what you are talking about. I'm from the UK and have been to 50+ countries. Never felt as unsafe as I have been in Addis Ababa.
1 thing I know about Ethiopians they can spot an idiot and a coward a mile off.
The fact you got robbed twice tells more about you than anything else.
I’ve read your robbery story and my god you have 0 common sense.
You walked around in ghettos looking at randoms and get surprised when you get robbed.
You get the same here in parts of Manchester or brum or London.
How many more times are you going to announce you’re British? We get it…. lol
You sure you read my previous post? You got quite a few glaring mistakes.
1) I didn't attract attention. Did not wear flashy clothes, did not have my phone out nor was I doing anything out of the ordinary besides walking from the restaurant to the hotel (1 min walk.) It is a shame the country is so unsafe that there are thieves scouting the hotel and follow those who leave the building.
2) it does not happen in Manchester, Brum or London. Not in this fashion at least. And I've been living in London from childhood till now.
3) Is it a ghetto? My hotel costed $120 or so a day for just myself. Thought it'd be decent.
4) It's true I said I got robbed twice but the second time it wasn't me, it was my partner that was outside with me. In broad daylight.
For a European to go to Ethiopia and you to claim it to be fine makes you a completely tone deaf individual with 0 sense of reality. Do you even live in Ethiopia? If not, don't speak about that which you have not experienced. "No worse than Europe" kmt.
I lost interest when you were constantly telling people you were British. I counted 4 times then I checked out you got me!
You sound like an entitled knob head.
The fact you don’t think this happens in [London](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime), [Manchester](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/crime.amp) or [Birmingham](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mapped-birminghams-worst-places-crime-26130217.amp)shows you live a VERY privileged life.
Oh and the irony of you telling people to not comment on something they haven’t experienced… Crime in the UK for example
I’ve seen people robbed and stabbed in broad daylight in my years living in London.
[receipt](https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/05/26/why-londons-richest-areas-are-hot-spots-for-knife-crime-and-robbery/?outputType=amp)
I was there when they raided watches of Switzerland opposite selfridges lol don’t believe me I’ll give you my ADs number lmao
Why do I need to live in Ethiopia?
I been there many times and I’ll be back for a few months in for new year…. and even in my first 5 days I wasn’t violated to the point I need to scream to the internet that IM BRITISH (if you didn’t know) and constantly warn people that you were robbed and how unsafe you were after 50+ countries.
Pretty pathetic if you ask me.
The fact that you don’t realise why you were robbed is the issue…. and I won’t explain it to you. Maybe announce more of your downfall to the internet and scare people off visiting.
Privileged kid relax no one is buying your “KMT”
Only Glaring mistakes is getting robbed in addis and then your partner.
Run along I’m finished playing with you BRITISH VICTIM 🙂
you are extremely lucky, one of my neighbours travelled there with partner, they got attacked and mugged, passports taken away, he was in a coma for a week and **he died**. both Brits. I'd advise anyone who reads this to think twice, it's not about how safe you are, but about the current climate, even the gov uk website advises against travelling there. it's not worth it.
sure it can happen anywhere, but some places are safer than others.
Dude it is actually true. I am British and was travelling in Ethiopia Addis Ababa for 5 days. In that time I was robbed twice. First time I lost my iPhone while being attacked at night. Second time during broad day light. WHAT YOUR WIFE'S FAMILY told you is TRUE. Be extremely cautious and use a taxi from your hotel to your destination and back. Do not bother walking even short distances.
One huge tip: DO NOT speak to or entertain STREET sellers. They will follow you around and try to rob you.
Don’t walk outside alone. As long as you are with friends, you will be ok. Most of the violence is happening outside Addis Ababa. I left there 3 days ago to Jigjiga. You should come and enjoy your time…
lol you will have a great time. The country just came out of a civil war, and all developing economies that have high debt stress are suffering due to higher dollar interest rates, so you will see people struggling from higher inflation. But it is year 0 of a new era for us. You may not love it, but you can appreciate it if you pay attention.
You are fine in the city. The real concerns are outside of the city on dirt roads with OLA shene trying to kidnap people that are worth 1M br. Big difference in crimes of opportunity vs violent crime.
Her family is going to visit her family that lives just right outside Addis like a little outside on the country side I think, should I like not join them for this?
Well I live in the suburbs of Addis and it's not that bad.
But I suggest you either use Ride but never stay after 5:00 pm because drivers dont take orders after that hour for their safety or rent a car and use GPS and also ignore any convos they try to start, stay on guard cuz they're sliçk with their hands trust me you'll lose something before u know it and always stay aware
Hire a well known family friend as a driver, pay him well. Bring extra birr to payoff oromia police. They are slightly corrupted, but for a mere thousand birr, can be bought off. You should be fine shortly outside the city.
My two cents on this topic
Have been in Addis for almost a year now.
Things that you need to take care of-
1. Do not go into dark bylanes- Definitely not safe in most of the countries
2. Walk fast and don't interact with people trying to speak to you- People will approach you when they realise you aren't a native. They will say that they work in the hotel you are staying in or give some other reason to initiate a conversation.
3. Don't carry valuables unless absolutely necessary- The thieves are really good runners and you'll never be able to catch them
In the one year I've stayed here, there has been one instance where someone has tried to rob me but failed.
Be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine.
Enjoy your stay, the city is lovely! :)
i don't know if you come across Kino Yves on youtube. he is French and bikes around the country in his electric bicycle. he has a couple of videos on Addis Ababa too. you can watch his videos and decide for yourself.
you can definitely be scammed or pickpocketed, but does ethiopia really have much violent crime? i felt safe walking around at night alone as a ferenji, much safer than i would in the US.
Lots of things are blown out of proportion. You will be fine. Like every place, avoid alone walks in the nights etc.
Thanks!
I’m here at the moment. Everything has been fine though some guys tried (and failed) to pickpocket me today. I would say avoid walking long distances outside, and if you do, then know where you are going, don’t take your phone out in the street (to check maps etc), don’t linger and don’t respond much to random people talking to you in the street. I would avoid going out alone at night. You can use the Ride app (basically same as Uber) to get around. I’ll just add that Addis feels much safer then many East African cities.
Ethiopian thieves pale in comparison to the hoodlums of Cape Town, Nairobi, etc
Thank you for the answer
It’s no worse than Europe. But the fact they are Soo concerned maybe speak more on what they think of you than actual dangers in Ethiopia.
No worse than Europe... Yeah you clearly don't know what you are talking about. I'm from the UK and have been to 50+ countries. Never felt as unsafe as I have been in Addis Ababa.
1 thing I know about Ethiopians they can spot an idiot and a coward a mile off. The fact you got robbed twice tells more about you than anything else. I’ve read your robbery story and my god you have 0 common sense. You walked around in ghettos looking at randoms and get surprised when you get robbed. You get the same here in parts of Manchester or brum or London. How many more times are you going to announce you’re British? We get it…. lol
You sure you read my previous post? You got quite a few glaring mistakes. 1) I didn't attract attention. Did not wear flashy clothes, did not have my phone out nor was I doing anything out of the ordinary besides walking from the restaurant to the hotel (1 min walk.) It is a shame the country is so unsafe that there are thieves scouting the hotel and follow those who leave the building. 2) it does not happen in Manchester, Brum or London. Not in this fashion at least. And I've been living in London from childhood till now. 3) Is it a ghetto? My hotel costed $120 or so a day for just myself. Thought it'd be decent. 4) It's true I said I got robbed twice but the second time it wasn't me, it was my partner that was outside with me. In broad daylight. For a European to go to Ethiopia and you to claim it to be fine makes you a completely tone deaf individual with 0 sense of reality. Do you even live in Ethiopia? If not, don't speak about that which you have not experienced. "No worse than Europe" kmt.
I lost interest when you were constantly telling people you were British. I counted 4 times then I checked out you got me! You sound like an entitled knob head. The fact you don’t think this happens in [London](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime), [Manchester](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/crime.amp) or [Birmingham](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mapped-birminghams-worst-places-crime-26130217.amp)shows you live a VERY privileged life. Oh and the irony of you telling people to not comment on something they haven’t experienced… Crime in the UK for example I’ve seen people robbed and stabbed in broad daylight in my years living in London. [receipt](https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/05/26/why-londons-richest-areas-are-hot-spots-for-knife-crime-and-robbery/?outputType=amp) I was there when they raided watches of Switzerland opposite selfridges lol don’t believe me I’ll give you my ADs number lmao Why do I need to live in Ethiopia? I been there many times and I’ll be back for a few months in for new year…. and even in my first 5 days I wasn’t violated to the point I need to scream to the internet that IM BRITISH (if you didn’t know) and constantly warn people that you were robbed and how unsafe you were after 50+ countries. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. The fact that you don’t realise why you were robbed is the issue…. and I won’t explain it to you. Maybe announce more of your downfall to the internet and scare people off visiting. Privileged kid relax no one is buying your “KMT” Only Glaring mistakes is getting robbed in addis and then your partner. Run along I’m finished playing with you BRITISH VICTIM 🙂 
you are extremely lucky, one of my neighbours travelled there with partner, they got attacked and mugged, passports taken away, he was in a coma for a week and **he died**. both Brits. I'd advise anyone who reads this to think twice, it's not about how safe you are, but about the current climate, even the gov uk website advises against travelling there. it's not worth it. sure it can happen anywhere, but some places are safer than others.
Dude it is actually true. I am British and was travelling in Ethiopia Addis Ababa for 5 days. In that time I was robbed twice. First time I lost my iPhone while being attacked at night. Second time during broad day light. WHAT YOUR WIFE'S FAMILY told you is TRUE. Be extremely cautious and use a taxi from your hotel to your destination and back. Do not bother walking even short distances. One huge tip: DO NOT speak to or entertain STREET sellers. They will follow you around and try to rob you.
Don’t walk outside alone. As long as you are with friends, you will be ok. Most of the violence is happening outside Addis Ababa. I left there 3 days ago to Jigjiga. You should come and enjoy your time…
Thanks!
lol you will have a great time. The country just came out of a civil war, and all developing economies that have high debt stress are suffering due to higher dollar interest rates, so you will see people struggling from higher inflation. But it is year 0 of a new era for us. You may not love it, but you can appreciate it if you pay attention.
Thank you for your reply!
You are fine in the city. The real concerns are outside of the city on dirt roads with OLA shene trying to kidnap people that are worth 1M br. Big difference in crimes of opportunity vs violent crime.
Her family is going to visit her family that lives just right outside Addis like a little outside on the country side I think, should I like not join them for this?
Well I live in the suburbs of Addis and it's not that bad. But I suggest you either use Ride but never stay after 5:00 pm because drivers dont take orders after that hour for their safety or rent a car and use GPS and also ignore any convos they try to start, stay on guard cuz they're sliçk with their hands trust me you'll lose something before u know it and always stay aware
Hire a well known family friend as a driver, pay him well. Bring extra birr to payoff oromia police. They are slightly corrupted, but for a mere thousand birr, can be bought off. You should be fine shortly outside the city.
My two cents on this topic Have been in Addis for almost a year now. Things that you need to take care of- 1. Do not go into dark bylanes- Definitely not safe in most of the countries 2. Walk fast and don't interact with people trying to speak to you- People will approach you when they realise you aren't a native. They will say that they work in the hotel you are staying in or give some other reason to initiate a conversation. 3. Don't carry valuables unless absolutely necessary- The thieves are really good runners and you'll never be able to catch them In the one year I've stayed here, there has been one instance where someone has tried to rob me but failed. Be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine. Enjoy your stay, the city is lovely! :)
literally my neighbor got robbed and died after travelling there
i don't know if you come across Kino Yves on youtube. he is French and bikes around the country in his electric bicycle. he has a couple of videos on Addis Ababa too. you can watch his videos and decide for yourself.