The Ethiopian government on Thursday asked seven senior United Nations (UN) staff members to leave the country within 72 hours for allegedly meddling in the country’s internal affairs, reported Aljazeera.
The announcement came on Thursday amid mounting pressure on the government over limited lifesaving aid access to the embattled Tigray region, which has been hit by deadly conflict for nearly 11 months.
Thousands of people have been killed over two million have been forced to flee their homes since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray in November 2020.
Earlier this week, the UN aid chief warned a blockade of aid had likely forced hundreds of thousands of people in the northern region of Tigray into famine.
The seven officials include officials from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Among those who have been suspended include Marcy Vigoda, head of the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Adele Khodr, the head of the UN’s children’s fund.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the seven officials as “persona non grata” and given them 72 hours timeframe to leave the country.
In a statement, Dina Mufti, spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said those suspended were found engaged in activities that contradict the country’s law and operated out of their mandate.
Mufti said they are well aware of the law and they should not fail to obey it. He did not give details of their alleged interference.
The UN has expressed shock over the Ethiopian government’s decision to expel seven of its senior officials. Secretary-General António Guterres said they are already in talks with the Ethiopian government trying to ensure that the affected staff are allowed to continue their work.
The United States government has also condemned the expulsion of UN officials in the strongest possible terms.
