Between May 2024 and January 2026 there have been three incidents including two fatal attacks in the Omo Valley area, the latest one in the Surma area where two tourists and their driver were tragically killed in an attempted robbery.  The army was sent in to catch the perpetrators (which it has done) and it seems to be getting back to normal.

The Omo Valley

These lands to the west and south west from Arba Minch are home to a number for Omotic peoples (not to be confused with Oromo people to the east), whose tribal attire, and lives have attracted a lot of attention. It was a remote and inaccessible land until more recently but now development has meant new roads and easier access. However as a result some tours seek out even more remote places. This area does not suffer from the armed conflict that has affected other parts of Ethiopia, but traditional inter tribal raiding, exacerbated by land being taken for sugar plantations and other large scale agricultural projects and the effects of the damming of the Omo river on traditional agricultural practices, means that the area is somewhat unpredictable. Add to this that the tribes who were always armed are now getting cheap weapons from across the border in Sudan where the conflict in North Sudan has meant that guns are cheaper and plentiful. Visitors should be sensitive to the situation and all professional guides and drivers would be mindful of this.  The main town, Jinka, also has an airport with regular flights which makes this are more attractive.

Between May 2024 and January 2026 there have been several shooting incidents in the Mursi lands of the Omo Valley (around Mago Park) and most recently in the Surma area - (see below) and currently we do not recommend tourists to visit these particular parts of the Omo Valley, although tourists are visiting them. The lands of the other tribes (including: Hamer, Dassanech, Ari, Karo, Nyangatom, Bodi and others) are safe to visit.  We have developed a tour that is sensitive to the local communities and not about pointing cameras at tribal people.

Going across the Omo and more north west to the west of the Omo national Park – you come to the Suri / Surma places such as Maji, Tulugit Tum and Kibbish (where the most recent incident happened). This area is much wilder and access is on bad roads, with risks of being cut off or stuck. And as the incident shows there a greater degree of unpredictability in these parts, and more of a history of conflict. Heading north from this area take you to the main road at Mizan Tefari and the access to this part of the Omo can be made through the road from Jimma to Mizan Tefari.