Ethiopia suspends work permit of 3 foreign NGOs

Addis Ababa, August 4, 2021 (FBC) –Agency for Civil Society Organizations of Ethiopia has announced the suspension of work permit of three foreign humanitarian organizations.

MSF Holland, Norwegian Refugee Council and Al Maktoume Foundation are the organizations whose work permits have been suspended by the agency, according to Ethiopia Current Issue Fact Check.

While they have been engaged in different humanitarian operations in Ethiopia, the agency has identified rule violations by these organizations while monitoring their activities, Fact Check office said in a statement.

According to the office, MSF Holland and Norwegian Refugee Council have been disseminating misinformation in social media and other platforms outside of the mandate and purpose for which the organizations were permitted to operate.

These organizations employed foreign nationals without the appropriate work permit from the Ethiopian government for more than six months, it added.

MSF Holland illegally imported and using satellite radio equipment which was not authorized by the relevant authority and the employees were thus apprehended by the security forces for using the equipment for illegal purposes.

Similarly, Al Maktoume Foundation failed to comply with the Ministry of Education’s COVI D-19 protocol, its mismanagement of the budget, the misuse of the budget in the name of the school, and problems with staff management.

Despite repeated discussions with the executives of all the three organizations, they were unable to fix the situation, the office added.

The Agency for Civil Society Organizations stated that the activities of the organizations have been suspended for three months in accordance with Article 77 (4) of Proclamation No. 1113/2011 until a final decision is made.