By: Muluken Tekleyohanes | Ambassador Media | August 9,2025 | Germany
A disturbing surge of kidnappings and violent robberies targeting drivers has swept across multiple regions of Ethiopia over the past week, raising urgent questions about the government’s ability—or willingness—to safeguard its citizens.
On the morning of 03 December 2017, three Bajaj drivers were abducted in Chochober on the road from Ade to Geregera. Eyewitnesses report that the attackers operated in broad daylight, yet no security intervention was recorded.
Just a day earlier, 02 December 2017, a series of coordinated incidents underscored the severity of the crisis:
- At around 8:30 p.m., a driver and his assistant were kidnapped at the Halaba checkpoint. Armed thieves made off with 200 quintals of grain from their vehicle.
- In the evening, two truck drivers were abducted on the Dere Dewa–Awash road between Meiso and Awash Mizan.
- In Metema, a vehicle transporting sorghum to Gondar overturned on a steep slope. While the injured driver was taken to a medical facility, nearby residents allegedly looted the entire load of 230 quintals of sorghum.
- In the Amhara region, three drivers were kidnapped at gunpoint in Alem Saga on the Wereta–Debre Tabor road.
- On the Debark–Adrakai road, two drivers and two assistants were abducted in the Enzo area. This brings the total kidnappings on this road to five within a single month, including a driver seized on 01 December 2017.
- A separate report confirms that another driver was abducted “a few days ago” in the middle of Metema.
These incidents paint a grim picture of deteriorating security, particularly for drivers transporting essential goods. Transport workers have long been vital to Ethiopia’s economy, yet they are increasingly operating under life-threatening conditions with little to no state protection.
Security experts warn that the repeated targeting of drivers across multiple regions—often along known roads and choke points—points to systemic intelligence and enforcement failures.
The fact that such kidnappings happen in daylight and in quick succession, often on the same road within days or weeks, is a glaring indictment of the government’s failure to act.
The Ethiopian government has yet to issue a public statement addressing the surge in abductions, leaving drivers and their families in fear and uncertainty.
For many, the message is clear: until meaningful action is taken, the roads of Ethiopia will remain hunting grounds for kidnappers and armed robbers.
Justice for Drivers. Protection for Citizens. Now.