Ethiopia Declares 7 UN Employees Personae Non Gratae for Meddling in Country's Affairs
Ethiopia has declared on Thursday seven United Nations staff members personae non gratae over their alleged interference in its internal affairs and ordered them to leave the country within next 72 hours
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2021) Ethiopia has declared on Thursday seven United Nations staff members personae non gratae over their alleged interference in its internal affairs and ordered them to leave the country within next 72 hours.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, in letters issued today (30 September 2021), has declared a 'persona non grata' for seven individuals who are working for various international NGOs in Ethiopia for meddling in the internal affairs of the country," the country's foreign ministry wrote on Facebook.
The listed UN employees were given 72 hours to leave Ethiopia.
Among those given persona non grata status are a UNICEF representative in Ethiopia, a senior official from the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several employees of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Ethiopia is currently struggling with a protracted internal conflict, which flared up in the northern region of Tigray in November 2020. At the time, the authorities blamed the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a major local political force, of attacking a military base and launched a counter-operation.
The conflict caused a deep humanitarian crisis in the region, resulting in mass famine, murders and other crimes toward the civilians.