ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (AFP) – Ethiopia’s state minister for communication affairs [who works under the propaganda chief Bereket Simon] has refused to return home from the United Sates after an official visit, a top government official told AFP Wednesday.
Ermias Legesse was issued with an 11-day visa and left for the US in the second week of June, but has not returned.
“He didn’t report back, but there is nothing political in that,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“He has chosen to stay there. It seems he has dreamt about going to the US,” he added. “Sometimes strange things happen.”
Ermias, who is in his thirties, was appointed to the position earlier this year.
The US embassy in Addis Ababa declined to comment on the matter, but a diplomatic source said Ermias “has not been reachable for several days.”