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Ethiopia has asked the UN health agency to investigate its chief Tedros Ghebreyesus for “harmful misinformation” and “misconduct”, accusing him of backing rebels in his native war-torn Tigray region.
Tedros — the highest-profile Tigrayan abroad — this week described conditions in the Ethiopian region as “hell” and said the government was preventing medicines and other life-saving aid from reaching locals.
Addis Ababa said his comments threatened the World Health Organization’s integrity, and called for Tedros to be investigated for “misconduct and violation of his professional and legal responsibility”.
“He has been interfering in the internal affairs of Ethiopia, including Ethiopia’s relations with the state of Eritrea,” the foreign ministry said late Thursday, quoting a letter it sent to WHO.
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The government accused Tedros of supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, its adversary in the 14-month war in the country’s north, and a listed terror group in Ethiopia.
Thousands have died in the fighting, with the United Nations on Friday saying that at least 108 civilians had been killed in airstrikes in Tigray so far this year.
Many more are facing starvation, with the World Food Programme warning Friday its operations were “grinding to a halt” in northern Ethiopia because fierce fighting was preventing aid from reaching millions in need.
