The UN’s International Organization for Migration estimated in 2024 that as many as 200,000 Ethiopians live in South Africa. There, he paid 22,000 birr (then about £785) to a smuggler, with another 20,000 due on arrival in South Africa. This was at least partially catalysed by Tesfaye Habiso, Ethiopia’s ambassador to South Africa from 2002 to 2004. Sahlu Abebe’s brother, who migrated to South Africa in 2012, told Abebe not to follow. However, he did say he had been violently robbed twice in South Africa, where xenophobic attacks are also a constant risk.

Source: Ethiopian News January 18, 2026 08:32 UTC