The South Sudan government has refuted claims that its diplomats were given 72 hours to leave Ethiopia.
Over the weekend, some media outlets reported, and viral rumors made rounds on social media platforms, that South Sudanese diplomats had been given a 72 hours ultimatum to leave Ethiopia. The reasons for the claims were not mentioned but rumuor had it that it was sparked by the Egyptian president's visit to South Sudan.
However, the deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Deng Dau, described the claims as disinformation and fake news.
Deng Dau told Radio Tamazuj this morning, “We cannot react to rumours, fiction, and disinformation. Our ambassador is in Addis and is this morning attending a diplomatic briefing with the rest of his colleagues in the office of the Prime Minister in Addis Ababa.”
“All these are just rumours as I said before it is disinformation and fake news and I don’t know what the intention of those who want to advance that is,” Dau added. “The chargé d'affaires of the Ethiopian embassy is here. He has not been recalled, he has not been sent back and so these are just rumours.”
The Ethiopian Embassy in Juba, on its Twitter handle, also said the story was fake news.
“This is fake news. The incumbent Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan is Teferi Tadesse and not Fisiha Shawl. Ambassador Terefi went to Ethiopia 3 weeks ago for medical treatment and will be back soon. We have also confirmed that the South Sudanese Ambassador or any other diplomat is not expelled from Ethiopia,” the Ethiopian Embassy in Juba said on their Twitter handle.