Ethiopia calls UN health body head's remarks on Tigray 'unethical'

By Addis Getachew and Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Ethiopia on Thursday described as "unethical" comments made by the head of the World Health Organization concerning the humanitarian situation in Tigray, the country's northernmost region.

“The comment is one among many unethical ones being made by the WHO Director General and is not surprising," said Billene Seyoum, press secretary at the Prime Minister's Office.

“Using a race card and one’s multilateral position to garner the sympathy of the global north for personal, partisan politics is quite unbecoming of such a high profile position,” she said.

“We have no doubt that the UN will review the continued breach of the UN office by the WHO Director General wherein the oath of office itself clearly requires a UN staff to act within impartiality and independence," she said.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is an ethnic Tigrayan, said the situation caused by the conflict in Tigray, was worse than any other humanitarian crisis in the world.

“I haven’t heard in the last few months any head of state talking about the Tigray situation anywhere in the developed world. Anywhere. Why?” Tedros asked. “Maybe the reason is the color of the skin of the people in Tigray.”

He suggested racism could be why Ukraine was getting more attention internationally than Tigray.

Meanwhile, Billene said humanitarian aid continued to enter Tigray.

Armed conflict between Ethiopian federal government and Tigray rebels erupted in November 2020 and in March 2022 the Ethiopian government declared a humanitarian truce, which is holding to date.

However, access to electricity, communications and banking has been severely limited in the region.