Ethiopian security forces reportedly shot at U.N. staffers in Tigray

U.N. flag.
(Image credit: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Throughout its conflict with the Tigray region over the last month, the Ethiopian government has maintained the situation is an internal matter, often rebuffing third party help. Last week, though, the country did sign a deal with the United Nations, allowing access to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Tigray. But on Tuesday, an Ethiopian official said security forces shot at U.N. staffers who, he claimed, "indulged themselves in a kind of adventurous expedition." It does not appear any of the staffers were physically harmed, and they were reportedly released after being detained.

The official, Redwan Hussein, said the staffers broke two check points and entered areas that are off-limits under the agreement, even as the U.N. continues to seek unfettered and neutral access in the region. Going off script, he suggested, therefore chipped away at Ethiopian sovereignty. "No entity, multilateral or unilateral, is supposed to plant the government," Redwan said Tuesday. "We, the government, would call the shot."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.