The following guidelines were written by me and shared with institutions after I ran into some trouble myself, getting my car beaten. They are based on several years providing this kind of security advice. They are probably valid in similar situations in other places.
Supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front being trucked in to Addis, Tor Hailoch 13 Sept 2018. Photo by Mariko Peters
- Precaution
- Observation
- Reaction
- Attitude
- Reporting
Precaution
Lock your doors, keep the window not more than half-open. Hide valuables you may have in the car. Keep a charged phone close by hand. Check your messages and news feeds once in a while (although not while driving!). Let your security officer, office and/or the people at your destination know that you are underway, and when you expect to arrive.
Observation
Drive leisurely and observe the street and other road users. Map where security forces are stationed. If they gesture to you, follow their indications. Don’t count on them however to block a road when there’s trouble ahead.
If you are on a street that is unusually empty, increase your alertness. Look at drivers of incoming traffic. If they gesture to you to turn around, give this serious consideration. It is more likely they are trying to help you than to fool you.
Don’t hesitate to turn around if you are on an empty street, even when that means going against the traffic. Other Ethiopians also do it. Keep driving slowly unless you’re under attack (e.g. if rocks or other objects are pelted at your vehicle), and even then don’t give in to the impulse to start speeding, it usually doesn’t help and only increases your risk.
When you approach a group of people on the road, stop or drive very slowly. Are they armed? Are they aroused? In such a case, consider turning around and trying to reach your destination through an alternative route. Check what other vehicles are doing, and consider following them (it also helps to ‘blend in’). If the people on the road are not armed or aroused, you may pass them slowly but consider whether the road is still fit for vehicle use – you may want to take a side road out.
Reaction
If you do find yourself blocked, either by an aroused crowd or armed protesters, check your doors are locked, close your windows, and decide among each other who will do the speaking. That person can open the window a bit to speak with the protesters. You should immediately call to inform whoever is in charge of your security or who may help you of your situation. Seeing you call may dissuade potential attackers. Avoid taking photographs as that may irritate people.
The driver will most likely want to extirpate the vehicle from such a situation. He may be worried about damage to the vehicle. Don’t let him panic; he must continue to drive cautiously, even when under attack. Running over a protester or stander-by will have worse consequences for you than the beating of your car with blunt weapons.
Attackers may aim at your windows. Do not panic, it is difficult to break through a car window and it will take several hits at least; also it will produce no shards. Do not offer any response to the attack, except by moving the car, trying to drive away. You may also honk the horn and rev the engine to clear the way in front of you, or behind you. Choose the easiest way out but try to stick to main roads.
Attitude
Keep a positive and, insofar possible, outwardly relaxed attitude when you are not under attack. Try to smile. If you are a foreigner without an Oromo or Amharic speaker in the car, try the few words you may have learnt. Don’t seem in a hurry. When caught in a crowd of protesters, try to align with them on the surface – you may even raise your fist in solidarity or chant with them – but you should of course not become engaged in the protest. You are only trying to exit from this situation as smoothly as possible.
Don’t forget that as a foreigner or working for foreigners, you are not the target of most protesters. Protests are aimed at the authorities or ethnic groups. Ethiopians in the vehicle may therefore face more risk than foreigners. However, there may be criminals among the protesters, interested in your car or belongings, so be aware and stick to the measures of precaution mentioned above.
When asked to take people in your car, smile apologetically and shrug or explain you are not allowed to do so. However, humanitarian concerns may prevail, and you might decide to take a wounded protester and one person accompanying him/her to the nearest hospital. It helps to have an Ethiopian-speaking witness with you in the car so you are not seen as responsible for the accident. Avoid taking security forces in your car as these will be the target of protesters, rather than protect you.
Don’t panic: in similar cases the maximum damage has been to the vehicle; you will not be wounded or killed. Protesters attacking you are venting their anger, not trying to injure you. It’s not personal.
Reporting
As soon as you are out of the attack zone you can stop the car and catch your breath. Alert your security officer or, if you have none, the appropriate people who can alert your friends, family and colleagues of the danger, or post the incident on social media. Be concise and precise, don’t exaggerate or under-report – your main concern is to avoid others being attacked, not to tell your story or how you feel about it, or to provide political analysis.
Proceed to your home, office or original destination, as most appropriate. Again, drive slowly. You should alert incoming traffic of the danger ahead, but no need to stop your car or discuss with others. Also, don’t text while driving. Keep up the careful observation as outlined above: you may run into another group of protesters.
Once you have arrived at your destination, check the car for eventual damage, take photographs of it and continue informing people around you.