Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, has denied taking sides in the conflict between the Ethiopian Government and forces in the Tigray region.
The Ethiopian military had accused Ghebreyesus of siding with rebels led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front as the country nears civil war.
The WHO boss is of Tigrayan descent and served as Health Minister in a former government coalition led by the TPLF.
Ethiopian Army Chief of Staff, General Birhanu Jula, in a televised address accused Dr Ghebreyesus of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic support for Tigray.
“This man is a member of that group and he has been doing everything to support them,” he said.
Reacting to the accusations on Thursday night, the health chief in a tweet said, “There have been reports suggesting I am taking sides in this situation. This is not true and I want to say that I am on only one side and that is the side of peace.”
My statement on the situation in #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/WsFrbMzKj4
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 19, 2020
