UK Embassy in Addis Ababa Blames Ethiopian State Media over “Misrepresenting Report”

April 29, 2021

Borkena 

The UK Embassy in Addis Ababa on Thursday accuses Ethiopian media reporting over what it called misrepresenting the UK Ambassador’s meeting with the Ethiopian Defense Force Chief of Staff, General Berhanu Jula.

The allegation, which the embassy expressed in a Twitter message, did not specifically target a particular Ethiopian media. 

“Current Ethiopian media reporting does not accurately represent our Ambassador’s meeting this week with General Berhanu Jula, ” it was said. 

Also, the embassy did not clarify as to what exactly was misrepresented in the Ethiopian media reporting. 

However, the embassy spelled out what the British Ambassador to Ethiopia raised during the meeting with General Berhanu. 

It said “Our Ambassador raised the UK’s continued concerns about the Tigray conflict, stressing the need for a political solution, cessation of hostilities, withdrawal of Eritrean troops and humanitarian access.” 

Ethiopian State Media, EBC among others, had news coverage about the meeting. ECC said that the meeting focused on peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the current affairs in Ethiopia. 

Alastair McPhail, “Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Ethiopia” as described in the UK government site, is cited in the EBC report as saying that the meeting was on elevating UK-Ethiopia strategic partnership in peace, military and related areas. 

Furthermore, EBC reported that the Ambassador remarked on Ethiopia’s law enforcement operation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in a positive light. He was cited as saying that the operation contributed to peace and security in the region. 

This is for a second that for the Ethiopian Defense Chief of Staff to meet with members of the diplomatic community. Last week, he met with Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia. 

Unclear why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia is not handling the matter instead of the Defense Force Chief of Staff. Also it is unclear as to who initiated the meeting between the British Embassy in Ethiopia and General Berhanu Jula.

Public opinion, based on social media conversation among Ethiopians, sees the UK as leading diplomatic and political efforts to resuscitate the defeated Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)