Ethiopia has no legal right to expel seven U.N. officials whom it accused of “meddling” in the country’s affairs, the UN said.
On Thursday, Ethiopia gave the seven officials 72 hours to leave, as pressure grows on the government over the alleged blockade of aid to the Tigray region, where over five million people are in need of urgent assistance.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq sent a diplomatic note to Ethiopia’s U.N. Mission and conveyed to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a phone call with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday.
The note stated that the U.N.’s “longstanding legal position” that the doctrine of declaring someone “persona non grata” – or unwelcome – does not apply to U.N. personnel.
“The application of this doctrine to United Nations officials is contrary to obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the privileges and immunities to be afforded to the United Nations and its officials,” said the spokesperson.
Persona non grata applies between states, Haq said. “We are not a state.”