10 Sri Lankans evacuated from Tigray in Ethiopia, scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today

COLOMBO (News 1st): A group of 10 Sri Lankans evacuated from the war-torn Tigray region in Ethiopia, are scheduled to arrive in the island on Monday (Nov. 30), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. According to the Foreign Ministry, the arrival of the other Sri Lankans evacuated from the region is delayed due to an immigration - emigration issue. The Sri Lankan Embassy in Ethiopia is currently working on resolving the issue, a high-ranking officer at the Foreign Ministry said. A total of USD $85,000 was provided through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the Sri Lankans who are securely located at the capital of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, the high-ranking officer at the ministry further noted. The Foreign Ministry on the 27th of November announced that 38 Sri Lankans were successfully evacuated from the war zone in Tigray in the Northern part of Ethiopia. The Sri Lanka Embassy in Ethiopia successfully facilitated the evacuation of the group of Sri Lankans in consultation with the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka and the United Nations in Ethiopia. The Sri Lankan nationals, along with foreign nationals belonging to a number of countries, were evacuated by United Nations convoys from Tigray to the Afar region of Ethiopia and have been transported to the capital Addis Ababa. The Sri Lankan nationals, all employed in the garment industry in Ethiopia, are due to be repatriated back to Sri Lanka soon. The Government of Ethiopia commenced military operations in the Tigray region on 4th November 2020 after regional forces belonging to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked a federal army base.