The African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Thursday it has lodged a formal complaint with the Ethiopian authorities after two of its staff members were arrested, assaulted and detained by the country’s security forces.
Calling it a “very serious diplomatic incident”, the AfDB said two staff members on Oct. 31 were “unlawfully arrested, physically assaulted, and detained for many hours by elements of the security forces without any official explanation.”
An AfDB statement said the Ethiopian government had extended its support to the bank and has promised a speedy investigation into the incident. The bank’s operations in the east African country have not been affected by the incident, it added.
