Seven senior U.N. officials expelled from Ethiopia

Tigrai Online September 30, 2021

The Ethiopian government ordered seven senior United Nations officials to leave Ethiopia within 72 hours on Thursday, September 30, 2021.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said the following on it’s Twitter page today:

@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

Most of the U.N. officials thrown out of Ethiopia accused “meddling in the internal affairs of the country” are from UNICEF & OCHA. The seven top U.N. officials’ crime seems to be just doing their job. The U.N. workers were trying to help millions of Tigraians who are starving to death from a man made famine.

The following are the the top officials ordered to leave Ethiopia in 72 hours: Mr. Grant Leaity Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Adele Khodr, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, Ms. Ghada Eltahir Mudawi, Acting Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia, Mr. Kwesi Sansculotte, Peace and Development Advisor of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Mr. Saeed Mohamoud Hersi, Deputy Head of Office, UNOCHA, Mr. Sonny Onyegbula, Monitoring, Reporting and Advocacy Team Leader at United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Mrs. Marcy Vigoda, Head of office at Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia.

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths sharply criticized the Ethiopian government for creating the worst hunger, saying the Ethiopian government has a de facto government blockade of food, medical supplies and fuel in Tigrai and that would be “stain on our conscience,”.

It seems the Abiy Ahmed regime is at the end of it’s rope at this time and the top Ethiopian officials are taking extreme desperate actions to cover up the genocide they are committing against the people of Tigrai using hunger, war, and sexual attacks as weapons of war.

Secretary-General's statement on Ethiopia

I was shocked by the information that the Government of Ethiopia has declared seven UN officials, including senior UN humanitarian officials, as persona non grata.

All UN humanitarian operations are guided by the core principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.  In Ethiopia, the UN is delivering lifesaving aid - including food, medicine, water, and sanitation supplies – to people in desperate need. I have full confidence in the UN staff who are in Ethiopia doing this work.

The UN is committed to helping Ethiopian people who rely on humanitarian assistance. We are now engaging with the Government of Ethiopia in the expectation that the concerned UN staff will be allowed to continue their important work.

from Refugees International

"Refugees International condemns the Ethiopian government’s decision to expel key UN staff from the country, leaving key posts vacant during a time of crisis.

The ongoing conflict in Tigray has already pushed some 900,000 people into famine with deaths now being reported regularly. The government’s humanitarian blockade is causing this famine, stopping food and medicine from reaching those in need, including women, children and elderly, who are disproportionately affected by the famine.

Kicking out senior UN leaders will only make the crisis worse. Violence and hunger are also now spreading to other parts of Ethiopia, including Amhara and Afar regions. It is time for the United States and other members of the UN Security Council along with the African Union to challenge Ethiopia to end the aid blockade, and ensure that relief reaches those in need."

Contact Refugees International Communications Officer Aviva Shwayder at aviva@refugeesinternational.org or +1 734 255 8185.