By Getahun Tsegaye @GetahunTsegay12
Addis Abeba – At today’s bi weekly press briefing, the Spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ambassador Dina Mufti denounced the report by the New York Times surrounding the killing of 3 Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff in the Tigray region. The Ambassador called the report ‘accusatory’ and went on to argue that the New York Times published the story without further investigation into the matter. He called the New York Times report ‘baseless’ and argued that the soldiers cited in the report were captives and that they could be coerced by the TPLF.
Ambassador Dina Recalled that the Ethiopian government expressed regret over the death of these MSF employees and suggested that the deceased should have asked for a military escort to avoid the killings.
The Ambassador also recalled the establishment of an investigative group comprising members from the ENDF, the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice, to further investigate the case. “Further investigation was not possible since the area was under the control of the TPLF,” he said.
Furthermore, the spokesperson discussed the recent visit by U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield. Dina said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen met the special envoy and expressed that the bills HR6600 and S. 3199 are bound to strain the longstanding and historical relations of the two countries. He further explained that Demeke Mekonnen held virtual talks with the Diaspora representatives to call upon the diaspora communities to denounce HR6600 and S.3199.The Ambassador also raised the border dispute between South Sudan and Ethiopia. He stated that Ethiopia’s Ambassador in South Sudan, held talks with South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs where they discussed the need to hold a meeting of the Joint Boundaries Commission to put a stop to the repeated attacks by Murule militants on Ethiopian soil. AS
