UN condemns Ethiopia's decision to expel 7 officials, says it has no legal right to do so

A day after the Ethiopian government expelled seven United Nations officials for "meddling in the internal affairs of the country", the United Nations on Friday sent a strong message to the country saying Addis Ababa had no legal right to do the same.

UN statement came after Ethiopia announced the expulsions on Thursday, giving the seven officials a 72-hour window to leave the country. According to the Ethiopian government, the UN officials were involved in meddling in Addis Ababa's internal affairs. However, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the decision was taken as pressure mounted on the government over its deadly blockade of the Tigray region where children are reportedly starving to death.

According to the UN spokesperson, a strong message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was conveyed to newly elected Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a telephonic conversation on Friday. Guterres told Ahmed that the doctrine of declaring someone "persona non grata" does not apply to UN personnel. In diplomacy, a persona non grata is a status sometimes applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection by diplomatic immunity from arrest and other normal kinds of prosecution. "The application of this doctrine to United Nations officials is contrary to obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the privileges and immunities to be afforded to the United Nations and its officials," Guterres said.

Ethiopia must have conveyed issues through proper channel: UN

The UN deputy spokesman asserted that if there were any issues with the officials, the Ethiopian Prime Minister should have conveyed those to the organisation through proper channels. "It’s then for the Secretary-General to make the necessary determinations and take the necessary steps to address the matter," the spokesman added. However, when asked whether the UN officials will remain in Ethiopia or not, the spokesperson refused to answer.

Earlier on Thursday, Guterres expressed shock over the Ethiopian government's abrupt decision. Expressing full confidence in the UN officials, he said, "They are guided by impartiality and neutrality". Notably, Ethiopia is facing the worst ever famine as the country entered into a deadly crash with a powerful rebellion group led by an ethnic faction. According to UN reports, at least 3,50,000 people in Tigray have been facing famine. The US Agency for International Development estimated that the number could rise to 9,00,000.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)