Ethiopia: AfDB Withdraws International Staff following diplomatic incident
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has decided to immediately withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia. The office will remain open under the leadership of a designated local official. These measures will not impact locally recruited staff in Ethiopia, who will continue working and remain in the service of the Bank. The Bank will ensure its duty of care towards the affected staff members and their families.
These decisions follow a recent violation of diplomatic protocol and aggression by Ethiopian security forces against two international staff members of the African Development Bank.
Specifically, on October 31, 2023, two officials based in Addis Ababa were unlawfully arrested, physically assaulted, and detained for hours without formal charges or official explanation.
This represents a blatant violation of their immunity, rights, and personal diplomatic privileges as stipulated in the host country agreement between the African Development Bank Group and the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Upon learning of the incident, AfDB President Mr. Akinwumi Adesina immediately contacted the highest authorities of the Ethiopian government, leading to the release of the two Bank staff members.
The African Development Bank officially communicated with the Ethiopian government through a verbal note on November 6, requesting a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the incident.
Mr. Adesina also dispatched a high-level Bank delegation led by its Senior Vice President to Addis Ababa on November 22 to engage with Ethiopian authorities at the highest level and meet with Bank staff at its Ethiopian country office in Addis Ababa.
The Bank President stated, «The assessment by the Bank’s delegation indicates that the situation has not yet been satisfactorily resolved. It also does not guarantee that all African Development Bank employees feel safe to carry out their duties and move around the country without fear of harassment. The African Development Bank remains particularly concerned that the Ethiopian government has, to date, not shared with the Bank any reports or details of the investigations into the incident», Mr. Adesina added.
In this regard, as a precautionary measure, he noted that the Bank’s international staff in Ethiopia will work remotely from their duty station until the findings of the government investigations into this serious incident are transparently shared with the Bank, and all details of the measures taken to hold the perpetrators accountable are made public.
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Neil CAMARA
