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There is concern that the Ethiopian authorities will be uncomfortable with foreign commentators on the ongoing conflicts in the northern Tigray region after an analyst was deported.
On November 21, Ethiopian authorities deported International Crisis Group Ethiopia Senior Analyst William Davison on the grounds that he provided incorrect information for his work permit when he entered the country in 2019.
Davison has been holding regular interviews with various news networks and newspapers since the conflict began on November 4, but ICG now says that Addis Ababa appears to be uncomfortable with opinions that are different from her own.
Mr. Davison has argued that the conflict between federal forces and the TPLF is likely to drag on because northern forces are battle hardened and supported by various militias.
A tweet from the Prime Minister’s office attached a letter dated November 2019, in which Temesgan Tilahun Tsadic, the Deputy Commissioner of the Improvement Division of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, wrote to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to request a letter of support for Davison.
Davison was described as a new hire at the R&D Entrepreneurship and Outsourcing Center plc, which is helping the commission develop human resource management guidelines for Ethiopia’s industrial parks.
Robert Malley, ICG President and CEO, said his organization deeply regrets Davison’s deportation from Ethiopia at this time they are working hard to bring an end to the current conflict.
“If Ethiopia wants to seize its once-in-a-generation opportunity to transition to a more open and democratic society, it should embrace, rather than seek to repress, independent voices analyzing its politics,” Malley said in a statement posted on the site ICG website.
Davison was summoned by immigration officials on November 20 and told he had to leave the country immediately.
He flew to the UK in the early hours of November 21, after an earlier tweet from the prime minister’s office said his work permit had been revoked citing violations of labor law.
