Thursday February 13, 2020
Jawar Mohammed in Addis Ababa on Oct. 24.Photographer: Stringer/AFP via Getty Images
Ethiopia’s electoral agency asked immigration authorities to establish the citizenship of a prominent critic of the Horn of Africa government’s leadership, just months before national elections.
Jawar Mohammed, a member of the Oromo Federalist Congress, gave up his U.S. citizenship so he could participate in Ethiopian elections scheduled for August. He’s yet to say what post he’ll be seeking.The National Electoral Board wants clarification from Ethiopia’s Immigration Department by Feb. 17 on the technicalities for regaining Ethiopian citizenship, according to a statement on Facebook.
Violence last year in Oromia region in the south of the country resulted in the deaths of nearly 90 people after Mohammed said the government had ordered the withdrawal of his security personnel, endangering his life.