—— Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Bodyguard Services in Addis Ababa — VIP Security in Ethiopia
R&H Global Protection delivers executive protection, VIP security, and bodyguard services in Addis Ababa for diplomats, corporate executives, family offices, and media working across one of Africa's most complex security environments. Our teams combine senior former Israeli protection specialists with vetted local operators from former Federal Police, NISS, and ENDF backgrounds — intelligence-led, low-profile, and built for clients who understand that Ethiopia is not a market where standard hotel security is adequate preparation.
◆ FORMER ISRAELI SPECIAL FORCES
◆ SHIN BET SECURITY BACKGROUND
◆ 24/7 GLOBAL DEPLOYMENT
◆ 20+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
◆ 35+ COUNTRIES OPERATED
Bodyguard Services in Addis Ababa
R&H Global Protection provides bodyguard services in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia for diplomats, executives, family offices, NGOs, media teams, and politically exposed clients. Every assignment is built around the client’s exposure profile, itinerary, movement needs, and regional risk.
Close Personal Protection
Plainclothes or overt protection during meetings, hotel stays, public events, private movements, and residential periods. Team size can range from a single close protection officer to a full detail with advance, close cover, driver, and follow vehicle.
Residential and Family Security
Villa and compound assessments, access control, static protection, electronic security recommendations, and discreet coverage for spouses, children, household staff, and long-term residents. Many expatriate compounds in Old Airport, CMC, and Bole require stronger standards than landlord-provided guards can offer.
Event and Venue Security
Protection for African Union events, investor meetings, private functions, public appearances, and high-profile gatherings. Services include advance work, venue walk-throughs, perimeter coordination, arrival planning, and low-profile close cover.
Regional and Cross-Country Missions
Travel outside Addis Ababa requires active intelligence, local coordination, communications redundancy, and evacuation planning. R&H supports regional movements with route checks, checkpoint protocols, fuel planning, satellite communications, and armed escort coordination where legally permitted.
Travel Security and Advisory
Before and during each assignment, clients receive threat briefings, real-time intelligence, corporate travel risk guidance, contingency planning, and extraction support if conditions deteriorate. This is especially important during election periods, communications blackouts, or regional instability.
Media, NGO, and Humanitarian Support
Low-profile protection for journalists, documentary teams, researchers, NGO staff, and humanitarian workers operating in politically sensitive or conflict-affected areas. Services include fixer coordination, secure communications, movement planning, and pre-arranged withdrawal routes.
Secure Transportation in Addis Ababa and Ethiopia
Vehicle movement is often the weakest point in Ethiopia security planning. Bole International Airport handles the highest concentration of arrival and meet-and-greet exposure, while traffic patterns inside Addis Ababa create predictable chokepoints that can be exploited or disrupted quickly.
R&H provides executive vehicles, trained security drivers, airport transfer security at Bole International Airport, route planning, and two-vehicle configurations where the threat profile requires it. Armoured B4 and B6 vehicles can be arranged in-country for higher-risk assignments, while executive non-armoured vehicles are used for standard diplomatic, corporate, and family movements.
Every Addis Ababa security driver on the R&H roster is vetted for route knowledge, defensive and evasive driving, vehicle tactics, local language ability, and tactical medicine. Regional movements include fuel planning, checkpoint protocols, communications relay points, and pre-cleared overnight stops where required.
Security Training and Local Capacity Building
R&H runs training cycles for in-country operators, corporate security teams, drivers, and client staff working in Ethiopia. Training is delivered in Addis Ababa and at client sites, adapted to the local regulatory environment and to the realities of operating in a partially permissive security environment.
Modules include close protection fundamentals, team operations, surveillance detection, tactical and field medicine, defensive driving, communications discipline during blackouts, crisis decision-making, and residential security planning.
For long-duration Ethiopia operations, R&H can also deliver embedded training to strengthen existing local security teams rather than replacing them.
Executive Protection in Africa's Diplomatic Capital
Addis Ababa is an island of stability inside a country where the U.S. State Department's April 2026 travel advisory flags Amhara, Afar, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Tigray as "Do Not Travel" — and where civilian flights into Tigray have been suspended since 29 January 2026. The Ethiopian capital is the diplomatic heart of the continent: seat of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), more than 120 foreign embassies, and the African Standby Force coordination architecture.
Executives who land at Bole International Airport (ADD) rarely face direct trouble inside Addis Ababa itself. The exposure sits at the edges — in the regional travel that business in Ethiopia almost always requires, in the political tempo running into the June 2026 general elections, and in the discipline needed to move through a city where the private security sector is largely unregulated.
VIP security in Addis Ababa, delivered professionally, is not a packaged product. Each detail is built from the principal's exposure profile up — team composition, transport posture, communications plan, regional coverage, and contingency assets calibrated to the specific itinerary. That is the gap between credible executive security in Ethiopia and the static guard model that dominates the local market.
What's Changed in Ethiopia — 2024 to 2026
The threat picture has shifted measurably in the last 18 months. Any current Ethiopia security plan needs to account for:
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The June 2026 elections. Ethiopia's electoral commission has implemented a three-tier security classification dividing the country into green, yellow, and red zones, with "red" areas designated unfit for voting. Even inside Addis Ababa, where protests are uncommon, security forces typically respond to demonstrations with force. The window from late May through July 2026 carries heightened political tension.
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The Amhara Fano conflict has intensified. According to ACLED conflict data and International Crisis Group reporting, fighting between Fano self-defence forces and federal joint forces was recorded across 40+ woredas in 11 zones of Amhara during the first week of April 2026 alone. Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Lalibela remain accessible only with active intelligence cycles and ground coordination.
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Tigray remains restricted. Civilian flights have been suspended since January 2026 following clashes between TPLF-aligned factions and the federal military. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International continue to document the security situation. Routine business travel into Tigray is effectively closed.
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Oromia road risk has migrated. The A1 corridor between Adama and Awash has recorded multiple vehicle attacks. The West Shewa, Wollega, and Guji zones now require armed escort coordination for any sustained presence.
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Tigray–Eritrea tensions are escalating. Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have deteriorated through 2025–2026, with Eritrea publicly framing Ethiopian Red Sea ambitions as grounds for potential confrontation.
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Internet and cellular shutdowns are routine. Ethiopian authorities use connectivity blackouts as a standard tool around unrest. Communications redundancy — satellite phones, mesh radios, and pre-arranged check-in protocols — is now a default, not an exception.
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Exit bans are a real financial risk. Recent cases reported by Reuters have produced immigration fines exceeding $100,000 for foreigners caught up in administrative disputes. Principals working in regulated sectors need a documented exit plan, not an assumption.
This is the picture shaping every R&H deployment in Ethiopia in 2026.
Security assessments are reviewed against open-source reporting from the U.S. State Department, ACLED, International Crisis Group, Reuters, Amnesty International, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, and regional field reporting available at the time of review.
Why Bodyguard Services in Addis Ababa Require Advance Planning
Addis Ababa is not defined by one risk factor. Crime, terrorism, political instability, and regional volatility all overlap — and that layering is what often catches foreign visitors off guard.
Crime Risk Inside the Capital
Inside Addis Ababa, baseline risk is moderate. Violent crime against foreigners is lower than in Nairobi or Johannesburg, but petty theft, after-dark robberies, and vehicle break-ins remain issues in areas such as Piazza and lower-tier districts. Bole, Kazanchis, and Old Airport generally function like normal capital-city corridors.
Terrorism and Political Instability
The terrorism profile is indirect but relevant, shaped by regional spillover risks, OLA activity in Oromia, and political tension around demonstrations, election periods, and federal-regional friction. Movement can be disrupted quickly, especially near sensitive government, diplomatic, or public gathering areas.
Why Foreign Visitors Miscalculate
Outside the city, conditions can change without notice. Medical evacuation options are limited, the private security sector varies widely in quality, and credible close protection remains a specialist service. Professional bodyguard services in Addis Ababa therefore focus on intelligence-led planning, secure movement, communications redundancy, and operators trained beyond the standard guarding model.
Security Risks for Foreign Executives in Ethiopia
Foreign executives in Ethiopia face several recurring risks that local guarding contracts often fail to cover.
Corruption and Document Risk - Visa status, work permits, customs paperwork, and commercial documentation can become pressure points, especially during disputes. In serious cases, administrative issues may delay departure or create financial exposure.
Checkpoints and Movement Controls - Federal and regional checkpoints increase during periods of unrest, especially outside Addis Ababa. Language fluency, document discipline, driver behaviour, and vehicle posture all affect how smoothly a movement continues.
Civil Unrest and Election Windows - Protests in Addis Ababa are uncommon but can form around political flashpoints. Routes near Meskel Square, Africa Avenue, and the Bole Road corridor require live monitoring during demonstrations or election periods.
Communications Shutdowns - Connectivity blackouts can affect both voice and data. For higher-risk travel, satellite communications and pre-arranged check-in windows are part of the protection plan.
Evacuation Limitations - In-country MEDEVAC is limited and weather-dependent. Serious incidents outside the capital may require evacuation to Nairobi, Dubai, or Johannesburg.
Digital and Physical Targeting - Executives in mining, infrastructure, and finance may face both online targeting and physical reconnaissance, especially when travel plans, hotel stays, or meeting schedules become visible.
Who We Protect — Diplomats, Executives, Media, Family Offices
Executive protection in Ethiopia is a specialist service for clients whose exposure warrants it. The R&H client base falls into recurring profiles:
Executive Protection for Diplomats in Addis Ababa
Embassy personnel, African Union and UNECA leadership, UN agency directors, and senior NGO heads requiring secure transport, residential coverage, and discreet movement outside their institutional security arrangements. Diplomatic security Addis Ababa work frequently extends to family members and to weekend movement outside compound coverage.
Corporate Security and Executive Protection in Ethiopia
Mining, manufacturing, infrastructure, coffee, and finance executives needing close protection, secure transportation, advance planning, and regional movement capability. Corporate security Ethiopia engagements typically integrate executive security in Ethiopia coverage, executive travel security, residential protection, corporate travel risk planning, and a documented evacuation framework. Mining security Ethiopia work runs heaviest in Oromia and Tigray-adjacent zones.
NGO Security Ethiopia and humanitarian support
These engagements support humanitarian organisations, aid worker movement, and field security across active conflict areas. Coverage typically includes route planning, communications redundancy, hostile environment security briefings, and pre-arranged withdrawal routes for staff working in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, and Gambella.
Media, journalists, and researchers
Reporters, documentary teams, and policy researchers needing discreet protection, trusted local support, secure communications, and fixer coordination on politically sensitive work.
Ultra-high-net-worth visitors and family offices
Investors, private travellers, and summit attendees who require privacy-led VIP protection Ethiopia, schedule security, and continuity of cover across multiple destinations.
Ethiopian diaspora principals
Returning nationals and politically exposed families needing residential security, family coverage, and protected movement.
A diplomat needs low-profile daily coverage; a mining executive moving to a project site requires route planning, satellite communications, armed escort coordination, and an evacuation contingency; a media team working a sensitive Amhara story needs fixer coordination and a secure withdrawal plan. Serious clients need more than a hotel driver and a basic guard.
Addis Ababa and Ethiopia Regional Risk Map
Executive protection in Ethiopia must account for two environments at once: the controlled but congested capital, and the more volatile regional routes beyond it.
Bole - The main hub for foreign visitors. Bole International Airport, Hyatt Regency, Sheraton Addis, Hilton, Skylight Hotel, and the AU/UNECA corridor sit within this area. Most executive movements begin here.
Kazanchis, Kirkos, and Meskel Square - Embassy, ministry, and corporate districts. Demonstrations, traffic closures, and political tension can affect movement near Africa Avenue and key government areas.
Old Airport, CMC, and Bole Bulbula - Residential zones for diplomats, executives, and affluent local families. Compound standards vary, and many landlord-provided guard arrangements do not meet executive protection requirements.
Piazza, Arada, and tourist areas - Historic and commercial districts where pickpocketing, after-dark robberies, and petty crime run higher than in diplomatic or hotel corridors.
Nefas Silk-Lafto and Akaki Kality - Southern industrial access corridors. Suitable for daytime site visits with planning, but less appropriate for unescorted night movement.
Oromia and Amhara - The most relevant regional risk zones for many business movements. Parts of Oromia carry insurgency, ambush, and kidnapping risk, while Amhara remains affected by active conflict conditions around areas such as Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Lalibela.
Tigray, Afar, Somali Region, Gambella, and Benishangul-Gumuz - Higher-risk or restricted regions requiring specialist coordination, current intelligence, escort planning, and pre-cleared withdrawal routes. Tigray remains especially sensitive due to restricted civilian access.
Dire Dawa, Hawassa, and Adama - Important second-tier cities and industrial hubs. These areas are more manageable for executive movement when supported by route planning, communications redundancy, and local coordination.
Every regional mission begins with an intelligence cycle covering route conditions, checkpoint posture, unrest indicators, communications risk, medical support, and contingency options.
Medical Infrastructure and Evacuation Planning
Medical planning is a critical part of executive protection in Ethiopia. Advanced care is concentrated in Addis Ababa, where facilities such as Korean Hospital, Nordic Medical Centre, St. Paul's Millennium Medical College, and Black Lion Hospital provide the main trauma and critical-care footprint.
Outside the capital, regional hospitals in Bahir Dar, Mekelle, Hawassa, and Dire Dawa can usually stabilise patients but are not a substitute for advanced surgery or ICU care. Serious incidents may require evacuation to Nairobi, Dubai, or Johannesburg, with insurance approval arranged before deployment.
R&H plans include pre-identified medical facilities, evacuation insurance checks, blood-type and allergy documentation, and tactical medical capability on every detail.
Ethiopia Security Regulations and Executive Protection
Executive protection and private security are legal in Ethiopia, but the regulatory environment requires careful planning. Foreign clients need to understand how licensing, firearms rules, local operators, and duty-of-care obligations affect any protection assignment.
Private Security Oversight
Ethiopia’s private security sector is overseen by the Federal Police rather than a dedicated private security regulator. Licensing for private security firms, operator certification, and firearms authorisation falls under the Federal Police Professional Counseling and Arms License Division. Standards vary, which makes vetted local capability essential.
Firearms and Foreign Operator Limits
Most executive protection assignments in Ethiopia operate unarmed. Armed escort is reserved for specific high-risk regional missions and requires government authorisation. Foreign operators cannot carry firearms in Ethiopia, so any armed or close-cover role must be handled by properly licensed Ethiopian personnel.
Why the Combined-Team Model Matters
R&H structures Ethiopia assignments around senior international advisors for planning, intelligence, supervision, and methodology, supported by vetted Ethiopian operators for local execution. This creates a legally defensible protection model and avoids the risks of using unlicensed foreign or hotel-guard arrangements.
Insurance, Evacuation, and Duty of Care
Before deployment, principals should confirm travel insurance, medical evacuation cover, and any corporate duty-of-care requirements connected to Ethiopia. A proper protection plan should support compliance, travel risk management, and documented security decision-making for companies, NGOs, embassies, and family offices.
Israeli-Trained Protection Methodology
R&H’s senior operators come from Israeli special operations and security service backgrounds, where protection is built around prevention, intelligence, and disciplined movement — not reactive guarding.
This methodology is especially relevant in Ethiopia, where threats can shift quickly and the regulatory environment requires careful coordination. The focus is on identifying risk early, controlling exposure, reading behaviour at airports and choke points, and maintaining a low-profile protective posture throughout the mission.
Our Ethiopian operators bring the local side of the model: former Federal Police, NISS, and ENDF backgrounds, Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrinya, regional dialect capability, and cultural understanding that foreign operators cannot replicate. The result is an international-standard protection model adapted to Ethiopian realities.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Bodyguard in Addis Ababa?
Bodyguard cost in Addis Ababa depends on the client profile, mission complexity, team size, vehicle requirements, and whether the assignment remains inside the capital or extends to regional travel.
A single bodyguard in Addis Ababa typically costs $700–$1,400 per day, depending on the operator profile, schedule, threat level, and assignment duration. This may cover hotel security, business meetings, airport movements, daily city coverage, or low-profile executive protection.
A two-operator detail with a security driver and vehicle typically ranges from $2,500–$4,000 per day. This structure is more suitable for executives, diplomats, family offices, media teams, and corporate principals requiring secure transportation, close cover, and stronger movement control.
Assignments involving armoured vehicles, armed local support, regional travel, satellite communications, residential security, multi-vehicle configurations, or long-term retainers are quoted on a custom basis after reviewing the itinerary and operational requirements.
Pricing reviewed May 2026. For an accurate quote, principals should provide the itinerary, number of people requiring coverage, hotel or residence location, regional travel needs, vehicle requirements, and any known risks or concerns.
Long-Term Bodyguard Services for NGOs and Investors
Retainer arrangements are designed for clients with continuing Ethiopia exposure, including family offices, mining and infrastructure investors, NGO leadership, embassy contractors, and corporate teams running extended in-country missions.
A long-term arrangement provides continuity of cover, dedicated team rotation, consistent driver and operator allocation, secure communications, residential security, evacuation planning, and regular threat reviews. For mining, NGO, and regional work, the scope can also include project-site security advisory, field briefings, and pre-cleared withdrawal routes.
Clients who hire a bodyguard in Addis Ababa through R&H are not buying a local guard service. They are retaining a structured executive protection capability built around planning, intelligence, secure movement, and accountability.
Hiring a Bodyguard in Addis Ababa — Process
Unlike the standard local guarding model — where principals receive a uniformed presence with limited training, no mission planning, and no intelligence integration — R&H engages on a structured protocol designed for clients who treat protection as a discipline rather than a procurement line item.
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Initial contact and confidentiality — brief conversation under NDA to understand scope, exposure, timing, and locations.
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Threat assessment — review of client profile, itinerary, known threats, and destination risk, including current intelligence on specific regions, routes, and political tempo.
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Plan and proposal — protective plan covering team composition, transport configuration, communications, contingencies, and schedule. Pricing confirmed in writing.
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Deployment — operators on the ground, advance work where applicable, principal covered from arrival at Bole International Airport through departure.
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After-action review — post-assignment debrief for retained accounts, with field lessons fed into the next rotation.
Most assignments deploy within 48 to 72 hours from initial contact. Complex regional missions, armoured transport, or multi-vehicle details may require longer lead time, particularly during periods of heightened political tension.
Regional and International Coverage
Our private security services in Ethiopia cover Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Mekelle, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Hawassa, Adama, Jimma, Dessie, Harar, Shashemene, and Lalibela, with operational support across key industrial zones including Hawassa, Bole Lemi, Kombolcha, Adama, and Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone.
Regionally, we coordinate protection teams across the Horn of Africa and East Africa, including Nairobi, Cape Town, Harare, Kampala, Kigali, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Khartoum (conditions permitting), and Juba. Principals moving between these hubs benefit from seamless continuity of coverage.
Globally, our footprint spans 40+ countries, with established operational capability in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Why R&H Global Protection for Ethiopia
R&H Global Protection is not a local guard provider. We build executive protection programmes for principals who require advance planning, intelligence review, secure transportation, communications redundancy, and disciplined close-cover execution.
Our Ethiopia model combines internationally trained planning with vetted Ethiopian operators who understand the language, terrain, checkpoints, political sensitivities, and regional security environment. That gives organisations international protection standards without creating unnecessary visibility or legal exposure — and it gives corporate accounts a documented framework that supports internal duty of care obligations.
Request a Confidential Consultation
Require bodyguard services in Addis Ababa? Whether for executive protection, secure transportation Addis Ababa coverage, corporate security Ethiopia retainer, or NGO security Ethiopia field support, every engagement is built around the client's exact requirements. Share your schedule, locations, and any specific concerns, and we will develop a precise security plan built around current ground intelligence. Every assignment is handled with absolute discretion, from initial consultation through execution. Available 24/7 for urgent deployments.
Helpful Details to Include
— Travel dates or estimated duration
— Number of people who need coverage
— Hotel, residence, or venue locations
— Whether you need vehicles and drivers
— Business travel security across Ethiopia & East Africa
— Any known risks or concerns
— Family protection requirements
— Preferred team size (or let us recommend)
WhatsApp: +972-55-9724475
Email: info@global-protection.net
Frequently Asked Questions — Bodyguard Services in Addis Ababa
How much does it cost to hire a bodyguard in Addis Ababa?
A single bodyguard in Addis Ababa typically costs $700–$1,400 per day, depending on the operator profile, schedule, threat level, and assignment duration. A two-operator detail with a security driver and vehicle typically ranges from $2,500–$4,000 per day. Armoured vehicles, armed local support, regional travel, residential security, and long-term retainers are quoted on a custom basis after reviewing the itinerary and operational requirements.
Are bodyguards legal in Ethiopia?
Yes. Private security and close protection are legal and widely used. The sector is overseen through the Federal Police Professional Counseling and Arms License Division rather than a dedicated private security authority. Most professional protection work is conducted unarmed, and foreign operators work in an advisory capacity with licensed Ethiopian close-cover personnel.
Can bodyguards carry firearms in Addis Ababa?
Firearms are tightly regulated under Ethiopian law. Most assignments operate unarmed, relying on advance planning, behavioural threat detection, secure movement, and protective driving. Armed support is reserved for specific high-risk missions with appropriate government authorisation, typically for regional movement. Foreign operators cannot carry firearms in Ethiopia.
How quickly can you deploy a bodyguard in Addis Ababa?
Most standard assignments mobilise within 48 to 72 hours. Airport pickups at Bole International Airport, hotel protection, and city-based executive coverage can often be arranged faster. Regional deployments, armoured transport, or specialist assets may require additional lead time.
What does executive protection in Addis Ababa include?
Close personal protection, secure transportation, airport transfer security from Bole International Airport, residential security, event coverage, advance reconnaissance, route planning, satellite communications, evacuation contingencies, and real-time intelligence throughout the assignment.
Do you provide protection outside Addis Ababa?
Yes. We support regional missions across Oromia, Amhara, Tigray where access permits, Afar, the Somali Region, Sidama, Hawassa, Dire Dawa, and major industrial zones. Every regional movement is supported by route planning, intelligence review, communications planning, and evacuation contingencies.
How is the June 2026 election period being managed?
The 2026 general elections represent a high-tension window. We are advising retained accounts with continuing exposure to plan around the late-May to mid-July period, build communications redundancy for likely connectivity blackouts, and confirm evacuation insurance in advance. Protective posture is being raised across all active engagements.
What about internet and cellular shutdowns?
Ethiopian authorities use connectivity shutdowns as a standard response to unrest. R&H teams operate with redundant communications — primary cellular, secondary satellite, mesh radio where appropriate, and pre-arranged check-in protocols that survive blackouts.
Can I retain a bodyguard in Addis Ababa long-term?
Yes. Retainer arrangements are common for executives, family offices, media teams, NGOs, and corporate accounts working in Ethiopia for extended periods. Monthly and quarterly contracts produce lower per-day costs and team continuity.
What about medical evacuation?
Advanced medical capability is concentrated in Addis Ababa. Serious incidents outside the capital typically require evacuation to Nairobi, Dubai, or Johannesburg. Our protection plans include pre-identified medical facilities, evacuation insurance verification, and tactical medical capability on every detail.
Do you work with embassies and international organisations in Addis Ababa?
Yes. We support diplomatic missions, senior embassy staff, multilateral organisations including African Union and UNECA personnel, NGOs, and private principals requiring additional security beyond standard institutional arrangements.
