Four Ethiopian politicians who were on an official visit to Dublin have applied for asylum rather than return home.
The men were on a six-day visit to launch a partnership between their towns, Werabe and Butajira, and South Dublin County Council.
Goal chief executive John O'Shea
The council said its officials had gone to meet the men on March 27th when they were due to fly home to Ethiopia.
"Unfortunately they didn't turn up for that meeting and we subsequently discovered they had applied for asylum in Dublin," said South Dublin County Council spokesman Abe Jacob. The partnership programme was designed to build up the skills and experience of Government officials in Ethiopia in delivering services.
According to reports, the four men are from the ruling party in Ethiopia and had been staying at a hotel in Dublin.
The Ethiopian Embassy has expressed its embarrassment about the development and has contacted the council to seek its continued support for the partnership.
Irish humanitarian agency Goal said it was "not surprised" at the decision of the Ethiopian officials.
"This was to be expected," Goal chief executive John O'Shea. "Perhaps now the Irish Government will realise that they have been channelling hundreds of millions of tax-payers money through a hugely repressive regime.
"It is time now surely for the Irish Government to show real moral fibre and end all government-to-government aid to this brutal regime and channel our money through safer and more appropriate routes."
Mr O'Shea said Ethiopian armed forces have killed 83 demonstrators in the past few months during protests over claims Ethiopia's parliamentary elections were rigged. He pointed out that European Union ruled last month the elections fell short of international standards because of irregularities and post-electoral violence.