The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday said 16 of its staff members have been detained in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, while six others held earlier have been released, reported Reuters.
UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the Ethiopian government has given no explanation for the detention.
“Our staff on the ground is working with the national authorities,” he said, noting the detentions have occurred over the last few days.
The UN spokesman said that they are actively working with the Ethiopian government to secure their immediate release.
Ethiopia recently declared a state of emergency as rebel fighters advanced toward the capital, Addis Ababa. Fighting in the yearlong conflict between the federal army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front has escalated since the start of October, with the rebels advancing steadily south.
On Sunday, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said the security forces are detaining people in a manner that appeared to be based on identity and ethnicity, following widespread arrests after the state of emergency was declared.
The security forces have denied arresting people on the basis of ethnicity. They claim that they are only detaining people suspected of supporting the rival Tigray forces who have been fighting the government for the past year.
Earlier on Tuesday, Farhan Haq, another UN spokesman, said UN security officers have visited the detained colleagues and that formal requests have been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking the immediate release of the detained personnel.
The United States has raised concerns about the detention of US staffers.
“We have seen the reports and we find them concerning,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
He added that harassment and detention of people on the basis of ethnicity is completely unacceptable.
A U.S. special envoy, diplomat Jeffrey Feltman, is currently in Ethiopia for advance talks on ending the civil war.
