The US, the UK and Canada have released statements urging the Ethiopian authorities to ensure accountability after staff members of the African Development Bank (AfDB) were reportedly assaulted by security forces.
It was at the end October that two senior staff members from the AfDB’s Ethiopia office were reportedly detained and physically attacked by security forces in Addis Ababa. The bank, at the time, called it a “serious diplomatic incident.” The government promised an investigation but two months on details are still scarce.
Saying that it doesn’t feel the safety of its employees is guaranteed, the AfDB announced it was pulling out all its international staff members from Ethiopia. For a country that’s enjoyed warm relations with Africa’s premier creditor over the years, the news was rather embarrassing.
Now, western countries are saying they’re alarmed by the occurrence which they said contradicted the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations drawn to ensure diplomats around the world carry out their missions safely.
London, which is one of the major funders of the bank called for “a thorough investigation” into the incident while Washington said it was “concerned”. Canada said it “regrets” the fact that the perpetrators had still not faced consequences for their actions.
Reports indicate the assaults followed rows over a $5.2 million yearly contribution Ethiopia pledged a few years ago.
