Ethiopia pushes to block U.N. funding for abuse inquiry

FILE PHOTO: Miners pray the Asr prayer at the Afdera salt mine on the outskirts of Afdera town, Afar region, Ethiopia, February 23, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A United Nations General Assembly budget committee is due to vote Thursday on an Ethiopian push to block funding for an independent investigation into abuses in the country's conflict, diplomats said.

The U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva established the inquiry in December to collect evidence and identify those responsible for abuses with a view to future prosecutions. Ethiopia vowed not to cooperate, describing the move - pushed by the Western states - as "politically motivated."