WHO under fire: conspiracy theories, pandemic, and the Tigray conflict

The WHO as a geopolitical actor: pandemic management and genocide allegations

In June 2021, while the world was still grappling with the pandemic, a thread on a Spanish economic forum targeted the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The accusations were serious: ranging from concealing cholera outbreaks during his tenure as Ethiopia's Health Minister to leading a supposed social engineering plan against the West, as well as his alleged links to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a group classified as terrorist. The backdrop: the civil war in Ethiopia and growing Chinese influence in Africa.

The Tigray connection: a forgotten conflict with global consequences?

The conflict in the Tigray region erupted in November 2020 between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). According to the discussion, Tedros is allegedly a member of the TPLF, a party accused of committing massacres and causing man-made famine. Cited sources—DW, BBC, EFE—reported insurgent attacks and food crises. A striking detail: while Ethiopia maintained intense economic ties with China, it reported very few ELbichito deaths, which participants interpreted as part of a plan to divert resources and attention. China's official figure of 4,636 deaths in Wuhan contrasted with the thousands of deaths in the West, fueling theories of a targeted biological attack.

The economic cost of distrust in health institutions

Beyond conspiracy theories, the thread reflected deep distrust toward the WHO and Western governments. Critics pointed out the paradox of enforcing draconian lockdowns while allowing demonstrations, alongside the lack of protective equipment. One participant noted that decisions by the Spanish government had led to "the greatest expansion of the pandemic and the greatest destruction of the economy." The comparison with the Czech Republic—which recorded only 17 deaths and did not paralyze its economy—served as an example of alternative management. The underlying economic data: the human and financial cost of a response perceived as erratic and self-serving.

A startling claim: a pandemic that only hits the West?

A recurring argument was that out of the planet's 8 billion inhabitants, the cobi19 had only affected the 800 million people in the West. Mortality figures in countries like Iran—398,000 deaths in 2018—and Spain—427,000, excluding abortions—were presented as proof that life expectancy is a "fallacious calculation." It was alleged that the WHO had lied about the airborne transmission of the bicho and only recommended masks for the sick. Ultimately, the thread concluded that the cobi19 was not an epidemic, but a social engineering war to make the West resemble the developing world. This diagnosis, regardless of its veracity, reveals the fracture between the official narrative and a segment of the population that feels manipulated.