Breaking -16 UN staffers detained at least in Addis Ababa as civil conflict escalates

Agencies – A government spokesman told The Associated Press that 16 employees were being held in Addis Ababa on Tuesday because of their “participation in terror” under the new state of emergency as the country’s yearlong war escalates. All the detained staffers are ethnic Tigrayan, who have faced widespread detentions since the state of emergency was declared, according to The Associated Press. Last week, Ethiopian faction leaders formed an alliance in opposition to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, saying they intend to bring down Ahmed “by force or by negotiation,” Reuters reported. The opposition alliance comes as African and Western leaders called for a ceasefire in the conflict between the Ethiopian central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies, according to several media reports.