Ethiopia says WHO chief has ties to Tigray rebel forces

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s foreign ministry has asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate its leader for supporting rebel forces fighting the Ethiopian government.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who previously served as Ethiopia’s health minister and foreign minister, said earlier this week aid was stuck in his home region of Tigray, where rebel forces are fighting the central government.

“The moral, legal and professional position of Tedros Adhanom which threatened the organizational position of the WHO,” Ethiopia said in a statement Thursday evening. “He disseminated harmful misinformation and undermined the reputation, independence and credibility of the WHO, as evidenced by his social media posts.”

The WHO said in an email response to Reuters’ request for comment that it was aware Ethiopia’s foreign ministry had sent a diplomatic communication, known as a note verbale.

He said the WHO “will continue to ask the Ethiopian government to allow access to provide humanitarian supplies and services to the 7 million people in Tigray, Ethiopia…”.

“WHO and its partners have repeatedly called for urgent and unimpeded access to provide humanitarian health supplies and services to people in Tigray.”

The government denied blocking the aid and accused the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces of having commandeered trucks sent earlier.

The Ethiopian army chief previously accused Tedros of trying to procure arms and diplomatic support for the TPLF. He denied this. Read more

Thousands of people were killed in the Tigray conflict, which spread to two neighboring regions in northern Ethiopia before Tigray forces were forced to retreat to Tigray in December.

The United Nations says the government is applying a de facto blockade of humanitarian aid in Tigray; no truck has entered the area since 15 December. More than 90% of the population needs food aid and doctors told Reuters last week that many people – including malnourished children – are dying because no medicine has been allowed in in Tigray.

On Thursday, Tedros tweeted “Residents of #Tigray #Ethiopia, living under a de facto blockade for over a year, are dying from lack of medicine and food, and repeated drone attacks. @WHO and partners are calling safe and unimpeded access to deliver humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need.”

The WHO said its main call and that of the international community was for access to those affected and for all parties to use political action to achieve peace and security.

“This is true for Tigray and elsewhere in northern Ethiopia,” he said.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said Tedros failed to demonstrate integrity and professionalism and was a member of the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly 30 years before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was appointed in 2018.

“Tedros encourages the TPLF in its media engagements and celebrates what is presumed to be a military success of the group, in addition to engaging in selective outrage where it discriminates against humanitarian concerns in Ethiopia,” the ministry said.

The government designated the TPLF as a terrorist group after the outbreak of war in November 2020. Tedros, a Tigrayan, was a member of the TPLF. Abiy also served as intelligence chief under the previous TPLF-led government.

Tedros was elected the first African Director General of the WHO in May 2017 with strong Ethiopian and African support. He ran again as the sole candidate in October. Ethiopia declined his support and 28 other countries nominated Tedros for a second five-year term.

Reporting by Addis Ababa Newsroom and Emma Farge in Geneva Writing by George Obulutsa Editing by Katharine Houreld, Alex Richardson and Frances Kerry

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