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

FILE PHOTO: People stand in line to receive food donations, at the Tsehaye primary school, which was turned into a temporary shelter for people displaced by conflict, in the town of Shire, Tigray region, Ethiopia, March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations on Friday condemned 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.

The expulsions were announced late on Thursday, two days after the U.N. aid chief warned that a government aid blockade had likely forced hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray into famine.