Ethiopia Detains 16 U.N. Workers, All From Tigray, for 'Participation in Terror Act'

Ethiopia detained at least 16 United Nations workers, all of whom are from Tigray, for what a government spokesman described as "participation in terror act," the Associated Press reported. The detainment comes after conflict heightened in recent weeks in the yearlong war between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces that has seen thousands killed, thousands detained and millions displaced.

A humanitarian worker who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to the AP that all the detained workers are Tigrayan. Though U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that no reason was provided for the detainments, Tigrayans and lawyers have reported large numbers of detentions since Ethiopia declared a state of emergency November 2, with some people being taken in because of their ethnicity.

Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu also did not provide specific details on why the U.N. workers were detained, only saying that it was "because of their wrongdoing and their participation in terror act," and that there was no connection "with their office and job."

Forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which long held control of Ethiopia's government before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gained control, have pushed southward in recent weeks and made threats to march on the capital city of Addis Ababa, Reuters reported. The government declared them a terrorist organization earlier this year.

The state of emergency set by Ethiopia permits the government to arrest anyone suspected of working with a terrorist group without a court order, according to Reuters.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:

"They are being detained in facilities against their will," Dujarric told reporters, adding that some were detained over the past few days during a visit to Ethiopia by the U.N. humanitarian chief. Dujarric said another six staff members were detained but then released, and a number of employees' dependents have also been detained. The U.N. has asked Ethiopia's foreign ministry for their immediate release.

Asked for a response to the government spokesman, the U.N.'s Dujarric said: "We have no further information at this point."

Ethiopia's government has said it is detaining people suspected of supporting the rival Tigray forces who have been fighting the government for the past year.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that "if reports are true," detentions of people based on ethnicity are "completely unacceptable."

The government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission this week noted with concern that the new wave of arrests "appeared to be based on ethnicity" and included older adults and mothers with children. The AP has confirmed that the people detained included priests, monks and other clergy in the Ethiopian Orthodox church.

Envoys from the African Union and the United States are trying to encourage an immediate cease-fire by Ethiopia's government and the Tigray forces.

The AU envoy on Monday said he sees a small "window of opportunity" as the warring sides both agree that a political solution is required. But Ethiopia's U.N. ambassador said reaching a solution would not be easy, since there is the government on one side and a "criminal group" on the other.

During his four-day Ethiopia visit, U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths met the prime minister and visited "de facto authorities" in Tigray to advocate for more access to millions of people in need.

Ethiopia's government last month expelled seven U.N. staffers from the country, accusing them without evidence of falsely inflating the scale of the crisis. The move was condemned by other nations and international agencies.