Saturday, February 17, 2007

More Ethiopian diplomats defect

Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1208 17/02/2007
More Ethiopian diplomats have defected, bringing the total that has decided to leave the diplomatic service to seventy three. The latest to ditch the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and ask for political asylum in the United States is Ambassador Tayework Tilahun, who was his country’s consular attachĂ© in Kuwait. Recently a staff member of the Ethiopian embassy in Ottawa (Canada), Dereje Ejigu, decided to do likewise. Several employees of embassies in London, Geneva, Stockholm and Paris, have defected the last few years.