NAIROBI —
Ethiopian authorities have detained greater than 70 drivers working with the United Nations, an inner UN e-mail seen by Reuters on Wednesday mentioned, amid studies of widespread arrests of ethnic Tigrayans.
The ethnicity of the drivers was not clear. On Tuesday, a UN spokesperson mentioned that at the very least 16 UN workers and dependents had been detained within the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The detained drivers have been along with these detained workers, the e-mail mentioned.
Ethiopian authorities spokesperson Legesse Tulu and international affairs ministry spokesperson Dina Mufti didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the detention of the drivers. A spokeswoman for the UN contingent in Ethiopia instructed Reuters it will e-mail a response shortly.
On Tuesday, when requested concerning the arrest of UN contractors corresponding to drivers, a UN spokesman in New York mentioned it was investigating.
The pinnacle of the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Fee mentioned on Tuesday that they had obtained tons of of studies of Tigrayans being arrested within the capital.
Police have denied making ethnically motivated arrests, saying they’re solely focusing on supporters of the rebellious Tigrayan forces combating the central authorities.
Struggle broke out final yr between the federal authorities and the Tigray Folks’s Liberation Entrance (TPLF), who used to dominate the ruling coalition within the nation.
(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Modifying by Andrew Heavens and John Stonestreet)
