Mohammed Idris, an Eritrean diplomat in Addis Ababa for the past five years, has defected to Ethiopia.
BY AARON MAASHO
ADDIS ABABA — An Eritrean diplomat from the Red Sea state’s mission to the African Union is seeking asylum in Ethiopia, state-run media said, citing rights abuses at home.
Mohammed Idris, a member of the ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), had served with Eritrea’s diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa for the past five years, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said in a report.
“A people that for a long time fought for justice and freedom are now being subjected to injustice,” Mohammed told the outlet on Tuesday. “This forced me to take this decision.”
Rights groups and critics accuse Eritrea of rights abuses, including imposing indefinite military service with poor pay. Many of those fleeing the country, which won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war, say they are escaping conscription.
Eritrean officials could not immediately be reached to comment on the case of Idris. But the government in Asmara routinely denies charges of rights abuses and has in the past blamed lengthy military service on an unresolved border dispute with Ethiopia.
—
Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.
