Yemane Gebremeskel, public relations deputy director of the agency, told journalists on Friday that a total of 560 Syrian refugees have entered Ethiopia on transit and tourist visas and only 395 of them have left the country.
Taking into account the current situation in that country, Ethiopia’s Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) is providing a monthly assistance to those who stayed in the country after their tourist visas are expired.
It has been common to see some Syrian refugees begging on the streets of Addis Ababa, in hotels and the city of Hawassa, in the south of the country in breach of the law of the country, Yemene said.
Ethiopia issues tourist visa on arrival only at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The tourist is obliged to leave the country when his/her visa is expired.
Ethiopia currently hosts more than 900,000 refugees from neighboring South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, and other countries.