Why Ethiopia has turned its back on one of its own, WHO chief Tedros
- Tedros is set for a second term at the helm of the global health body but Addis Ababa is not backing him
- The war in Tigray and accusations of a humanitarian blockade are at the heart of the matter
One of their own, and the first African, had become the head of the UN health agency as the world was battling disease outbreaks such as Ebola.
But now the tide has turned in Addis Ababa, with Ethiopia accusing Tedros of supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a group that the Ethiopian government defines as a terrorist organisation.
Ethiopia says it mobilised African and friendly nations to win Tedros his first term at the WHO, but as soon as the TPLF engaged in conflict, “he showed his true colours” – he chose his political affiliation to the TPLF over his country, the Ethiopian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva said.
The mission alleges that Tedros, who previously served as the Ethiopian health minister and foreign minister in the TPLF-dominated ruling coalition, “abused his office and the international nature of the director general to advance the TPLF’s propaganda”.
Ethiopia said it submitted a formal complaint to the WHO’s executive board and was still waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of its complaint.
Its ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Zenebe Kebede Korcho, also tried to deliver a speech criticising Tedros but was cut off by the WHO executive board chairman.