The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of Annalena Baerbock, is once again embroiled in a visa controversy. This latest scandal involves accusations of undue pressure being placed on embassy staff in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to issue Schengen visas to a group of Ethiopian nationals, according to Schengen.News.
Reports suggest that a Ministry official directed embassy staff to grant visas to individuals on a specific list, even though the embassy staff were reportedly reluctant to comply. In one case, an Ethiopian national granted a short-stay Schengen visa did not return to Ethiopia but instead sought asylum in Nuremberg.
The embassy has raised concerns over the situation and alerted the appropriate authorities. However, the Ministry has not yet commented on the incident, and the full details regarding the number of Ethiopian nationals affected and their current status in Germany remain unclear.
This controversy is not the first to involve Baerbock’s Ministry. Earlier in 2024, the Ministry faced accusations of allowing nationals from Afghanistan, Syria, and Turkey to obtain German visas using forged documents. Although the Ministry initially denied the allegations, investigations have since been launched into several officials, with speculation that some of the visa recipients may have been foreign intelligence agents.
Furthermore, additional concerns arose earlier this year regarding Minister Baerbock’s role in facilitating the entry of Pakistani nationals under a program meant to aid Afghan refugees, sparking fears about national security. In August 2024, the scandal took a new turn with claims of nepotism, as it was revealed that the wife of a high-ranking Ministry official had been influencing visa decisions and training embassy staff in visa procedures.
