The Ethiopian government on Thursday said it will not support the re-election of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the World Health Organization (WHO) chief, accusing him of misconduct after his criticism of the war and humanitarian crisis in the country reported Africa News.
Ethiopia had nominated Ghebreyesus to be the head of the UN health agency for a second term four years ago. But now the Ethiopian government says Ghebreyesus failed to live up to the integrity and professional expectations required from his office, accusing him of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
“Through his acts, (Tedros) spread harmful misinformation and compromised WHO’s reputation, independence, and credibility,” Ethiopia’s ministry of foreign affairs noted in a press release.
Ethiopia has accused him of being an active member and supporter of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that is proscribed as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian parliament. The foreign affairs ministry said it wants the WHO Board to investigate Dr. Tedros’ conduct.
There have been several conflicts between the Ethiopian military and the TPLF forces since November 2020. The conflicts have caused many deaths and injuries.
Being an ethnic Tigrayan, Tedros has repeatedly slammed the situation in his home country and called for humanitarian access to the conflict-ridden Tigray region. He condemned the blockade of international access to Tigray, saying that the Ethiopian government had barred WHO from sending any supplies to the region since July.
He said Tigray’s conflict-affected people should receive immediate humanitarian access and said that just respecting the constitutional order would offer a peaceful conclusion to the problem. He said that although he belongs to the same Tigray region, his views on the issue were unbiased.
The WHO Board is scheduled to have its annual meeting later this month in which it will on the agenda for the World Health Assembly and vet the candidates for the upcoming elections for the director-general, which are set to be held in May.
