The African Development Bank announced on Wednesday that it’s pulling all of its international staff from Ethiopia immediately over a “serious diplomatic incident.”
The Côte d'Ivoire-based bank has a $1.24 billion portfolio in Ethiopia, and bank President Akinwumi Adesina warned that “its continued operations and future presence in the country could be negatively affected if the incident is not fully resolved.”
At the end of October, Ethiopian security forces “unlawfully arrested, physically assaulted, and detained for hours without charge or any official explanation” two of its Addis Ababa-based staff members, the bank said.