Ethiopia: UN staff will face penalties if they break the law

 

Ethiopian staff working for the United Nations or African Union who break the law will face penalties, Ethiopia's foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday, following the arrest of several UN employees for unspecified offences.

The east African nation declared a state of emergency on November 2 after rebellious forces from the northern region of Tigray and their allies made territorial gains, threatening to march on the capital.

Since then, hundreds of Tigrayans have reportedly been arrested in Addis Ababa, along with 16 UN staff members whose ethnicity has not been disclosed. Seven were later released. Police say the arrests - which have caught up large numbers of Tigrayan civilians - are not ethnically motivated.

Foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told a news conference in the capital, "UN staff who reside in Ethiopia should respect the law of the country. They live in Ethiopia, not in space. Whether it is a UN or AU staff member, they shall be held accountable.”

But Dina reiterated the government's stance that it will not hold ceasefire talks with leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) because Tigrayan forces have not yet withdrawn from the Amhara and Afar regions, which both neighbor Tigray.

The Tigrayan forces entered Amhara in July after Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray after months of bloody battles. Amhara forces have been supporting the military.

The AU's envoy for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, and US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman have both visited Ethiopia this week to talk about a ceasefire.

The spreading conflict has killed thousands of civilians and forced more than two million people from their homes.