The seven, including individuals from UNICEF and OCHA, have been declared ‘persona non grata’ and given 72 hours to leave the country, foreign ministry says.
Ethiopia’s government has ordered the expulsion of seven senior United Nations officials from the country for “meddling” in its internal affairs.
The seven, who include individuals from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), have been declared “persona non grata” and given 72 hours to leave the country, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
.@mfaethiopia declared ”persona non grata” for seven individuals who have been working for some international NGOs in #Ethiopia for meddling in the internal affairs of the country. They must leave the country within the next 72 hrs. 30 September 2021 pic.twitter.com/9sk9e7YFYE
— MFA Ethiopia🇪🇹 (@mfaethiopia) September 30, 2021
State-affiliated news agency FANA said Grant Leaity, deputy humanitarian coordinator for OCHA, and Adele Khodr, UNICEF representative in Ethiopia, were among those expelled.
The move came as humanitarian workers have been sounding the alarm about limited access to the embattled Tigray region, which has been racked by conflict for nearly 11 months.
More to follow.