Addis Ababa: 16 members of the United Nations have been detained in the African country of Ethiopia.
According to media reports, a UN spokesman confirmed the arrests, saying “as far as I know, we have not been given any explanation as to why the staff members have been detained. All members are Ethiopian nationals working for various UN agencies.
“We are in contact with the Ethiopian government on this issue so that the immediate release of the detainees can be made possible,” UN spokesman Stephen Dujarric told the media.
According to media reports, the detainees belong to the Tigris race.
The State Department, meanwhile, has expressed concern over the arrests of UN members in Ethiopia, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying there were reports of arrests of Tigris women and children. However, racially motivated arrests in Ethiopia are unacceptable.
Ethiopian police say they have not arrested anyone on UN or ethnic grounds, but have detained supporters of the Tigris rebels.