UN Says Ethiopia Detains 72 WFP Drivers

An Ethiopian woman, who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her child under a World Food Program banner in Hamdayet village on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the eastern Kassala state, Sudan December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
An Ethiopian woman, who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her child under a World Food Program banner in Hamdayet village on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the eastern Kassala state, Sudan December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
TT
20

UN Says Ethiopia Detains 72 WFP Drivers

An Ethiopian woman, who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her child under a World Food Program banner in Hamdayet village on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the eastern Kassala state, Sudan December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
An Ethiopian woman, who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her child under a World Food Program banner in Hamdayet village on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the eastern Kassala state, Sudan December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

The United Nations said Wednesday that Ethiopia had detained 72 aid drivers to the conflict-torn north, the latest roundups despite an international push to end a brutal war.

The news, which came a day after the UN reported the arrests of employees in the capital Addis Ababa, is likely to further inflame tensions with the government following a decision in September to expel seven senior UN officials for "meddling" in the country's affairs.

A UN spokesperson said the latest detentions targeted contract drivers for the World Food Program (WFP) in the capital of Afar province, on the only functional road leading into famine-threatened Tigray.

"We confirm that 72 outsourced drivers contracted by WFP have been detained in Semera. We are liaising with the government of Ethiopia to understand the reasons behind their detention," a UN spokesperson said.

At the world body's headquarters, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, "We are calling for their release."

AFP quoted him as saying that at least nine UN staff members also remained in custody in Addis Ababa, a day after saying that 22 had been rounded up.

Officials last week announced a six-month nationwide emergency amid rising fears that fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel groups could advance on the capital.

Lawyers say arbitrary detentions of ethnic Tigrayans -- commonplace during the war -- have surged since then, ensnaring thousands, with the new measures allowing the authorities to hold anyone suspected of supporting "terrorist groups" without a warrant.

Law enforcement officials describe such detentions as part of a legitimate crackdown on the TPLF and OLA.

Information on the ethnicity of the drivers detained in Semera was not immediately available, though the UN has in the past hired ethnic Tigrayans to transport food and other aid into Tigray.



Vehicle Drives Into LA Crowd, Injuring 30 People

A vehicle sits on the sidewalk after ramming into a crowd of people in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A vehicle sits on the sidewalk after ramming into a crowd of people in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
TT
20

Vehicle Drives Into LA Crowd, Injuring 30 People

A vehicle sits on the sidewalk after ramming into a crowd of people in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A vehicle sits on the sidewalk after ramming into a crowd of people in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people.

Victims were transported to local hospitals and trauma centers, according to Capt. Adam Van Gerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. At least three were in critical condition after being injured along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, the Fire Department said in a statement.

Van Gerpen said that a line of people — the majority female — were waiting to enter a nightclub when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a taco truck and valet stand.

Paramedics discovered that one of the patients had a gunshot wound, Van Gerpen said. He told The Associated Press that the identity of that person was not yet known.

“This is under police investigation,” he said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

People inside the club came out to help in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said, to help the victims.

“They were all standing in line going into a nightclub. There was a taco cart out there, so they were ... getting some food, waiting to go in. And there’s also a valet line there,” he said. “The valet podium was taken out, the taco truck was taken out, and then a large number of people were impacted by the vehicle.”