Ireland: Ethiopia Expels Four Irish Diplomats

Ethiopia has ordered four of six Irish diplomats working in Addis Ababa to leave the country because of Ireland’s stance on the conflict there, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Wednesday, according to AP.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Ethiopia’s government informed the Irish Embassy in the Ethiopian capital that the four must leave within one week, allowing only the Irish Ambassador and another diplomat to stay.

In a statement, the Department said this was the Ethiopian authorities' reaction to “the positions Ireland has articulated internationally, including at the UN Security Council, on the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.”

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he “deeply regretted” the decision, noting that Ethiopia has been the largest recipient of Ireland’s aid funds in the past five years.

Coveney added that amid the deteriorating security situation in Ethiopia, the government banned all travel to the country and called on all Irish citizens to leave immediately. Britain’s government issued a similar statement Wednesday, urging Britons to leave.

Ireland and African members of the UN Security Council led a statement on Nov. 5 calling for a cease-fire, stressing the importance of full humanitarian access to Tigray and political dialogue between parties.