U.N. decries Ethiopia expulsions, says 5.2 million need aid in Tigray

The United Nations on Friday decried Ethiopia's announcement that it was expelling seven senior U.N. officials, and voiced concern for 5.2 million people in the Tigray region who are in need of urgent assistance as malnutrition rises further.

"It is critically important that the humanitarian operation continues - and it does," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a Geneva briefing. "Until now there is no indication that it (Ethiopia's decision) stops the operation."

U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said the plan to expel the head of its reporting team in Ethiopia was a "really grave step", adding: "We are pretty much united across the U.N. that this is not an acceptable situation."

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