A US government contractor born in Ethiopia has admitted to sharing dozens of classified documents with senior Ethiopian officials, handing over American intelligence secrets to help the country target and kill Tigray fighters.
The admission puts a rare human face on the murky overlap between diaspora loyalty and national security. The contractor, who held US citizenship, used their access to sensitive government information and passed it directly to Ethiopian authorities during a period of brutal conflict in the Tigray region.
The case raises urgent questions about vetting, access, and the pressures that diasporan communities can face when war breaks out in their countries of origin. For the Ethiopian and broader African diaspora in the United States, the story lands with particular weight.
What remains to be seen is how the US government responds, and whether this case signals a wider review of contractors with ties to countries where American foreign policy interests are actively in play.
Originally published by BBC Africa.