emergency wrong_emergency_number ai_generated true

AI tells someone in Ethiopia to dial 911 or 112 for police, ambulance, or fire

ID: emergency/991-907-939-not-911

Also available as: JSON · Markdown
85%Fix Rate
70%Confidence
3Evidence
2026-08-06First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
any active — — —

Root Cause

Ethiopia has no single nationwide emergency line. In Addis Ababa, police is 991, the Ethiopian Red Cross ambulance line is 907, and fire brigade is 939; 112 is not reliable. Other cities and regions use different numbers (e.g. Dire Dawa police uses a separate local line), so a number that works in the capital may not work elsewhere.

generic

Workarounds

  1. 90% success In Addis Ababa, use the service-specific numbers directly 
    Police: 991 (press 1 for Federal Police, 2 for Addis Ababa Police). Ambulance (Ethiopian Red Cross Society): 907, toll-free. Fire: 939.

    Sources: https://et.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/en/node/7 https://redcrosseth.org/get-help/ambulance-services/

  2. 65% success Outside Addis Ababa, get the local number for your city/region in advance rather than assuming a national line 
    Ask your hotel, tour operator, or embassy for the region-specific emergency contact; the French Embassy page lists a separate Dire Dawa police line as one example.

    Sources: https://et.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/en/node/7

  3. 85% success For ambulance service specifically, rely on the Ethiopian Red Cross Society's toll-free 907 line, which covers Addis Ababa citywide via regional branches 
    907 is free from any phone and connects to the nearest of the Red Cross's ambulance stations across Addis Ababa's subcities.

    Sources: https://redcrosseth.org/get-help/ambulance-services/

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Dial 911 or 112 in Ethiopia expecting to reach police, fire, or ambulance 80% fail

    Ethiopia does not run a unified 911/112 emergency system. The French Embassy in Addis Ababa's emergency-numbers page lists separate, service-specific lines (police 991, ambulance 907, fire 939) rather than one general number, and 112 is not a reliable fallback.

  2. Call the Addis Ababa police or ambulance numbers (991 / 907) while in another Ethiopian city like Dire Dawa 40% fail

    These lines are Addis Ababa city services. The French Embassy's emergency page lists a separate police contact for Dire Dawa rather than routing through the Addis Ababa numbers, so coverage is city-specific, not national.