Photo Credit: AfDBAddis Abeba – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has said the Ethiopian government didn’t yet resolve “in any satisfactory manner” the assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of its international members of staff on 31 October 2023. Subsequently, it decided to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia with immediate effect as of 19 December 2023. The bank said back then the assault was “a very serious diplomatic incident,” and that its complaints to the Ethiopian government had been “formally acknowledged”. According to the internal memorandum, the bank’s decision to withdraw its international staff will not affect nationally recruited staff from Ethiopia, and the bank’s office in Ethiopia will remain open but under an Officer-in-Charge. According to the Bank, as of 30th September 2023, the Bank’s ongoing portfolio in Ethiopia comprised 22 projects, which totaled $1.24 billion.

Source: Ethiopian News December 20, 2023 10:02 UTC