BBC reporter detained by Ethiopia’s military
A BBC reporter working in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit region of Tigray has been detained by the military.
Girmay Gebru, who works for BBC Tigrinya, is reported to have been taken to a military camp in the regional capital, Mekelle. Witnesses say that Mr Gebru was arrested in a cafe in the capital along with four others, by soldiers in military uniform.
The BBC says it is “yet to establish the reason for his detention, but has expressed its concern to the Ethiopian authorities”.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "We have expressed our concern to the Ethiopian authorities and are awaiting their response."
Another local journalist, Tamirat Yemane, and two translators - Alula Akalu and Fitsum Berhane, who were working for The Financial Times and the AFP news agency, respectively - were also arrested by uniformed men on the weekend.
The Financial Times and the AFP had been granted access to cover the conflict in Tigray after months of what the BBC has called an “effective media blackout”.
An official of Ethiopia’s ruling party recently warned that measures would be taken against people they said were "misleading international media".
The conflict in Tigray has been ongoing since early November when Prime minister Abiy Ahmed ordered troops into the region after accusing the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a military base.
This week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is “gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation” in Tigray. A confidential US government report recently obtained by The New York Times found that Ethiopian officials and allied militia fighters are leading a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing in the region.
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