Ethiopia Names Two Diplomats to Key Refugee Posts
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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The Ethiopian government has appointed two diplomats to replace the former relief and rehabilitation commissioner and his deputy, who have both defected to the United States, officials said Sunday.
The new commissioner is Berhanu Jembere, a former Ethiopian ambassador to East Germany, and his deputy is Tibebu Shiferaw, a Foreign Ministry official.
The former commissioner, Dawit Wolde Giorgis, failed to return to Ethiopia late last year and has sought political asylum in the United States.
His deputy, Berhane Deressa, followed suit in June, saying he felt unable to continue working with the Marxist government in Addis Ababa.
The Ethiopian authorities have accused Dawit of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars during his tenure as commissioner. He denies the charge.
The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission is responsible for coordinating all relief work in Ethiopia, as well as for the controversial program to resettle people from the north in more fertile southern areas.
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