United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey D. Feltman, who is due to step down at the end of January, will today visit Ethiopia for peace talks aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict in the country.
A programme announced by the US State Department said Mr Feltman will return to Addis Ababa, for the third time since his appointment in April last year, to try and convince leaders to choose dialogue one more time.
“I can confirm that Special Envoy Feltman will be in Addis – Addis Ababa January 6th for meetings with senior government officials to discuss prospects for peace talks.
“We’ll have more on his travels in the coming days, and we do expect to have more to read out then. He is planning to go back to Khartoum as well” said Mr Ned Price, the Department’s spokesman.
Mr Feltman had tried before, and was often rebuffed, including a famous snub by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He was due to leave office later in January, according to reports early on Wednesday.
Mr Price said that the United States government continues to call on warring parties; Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), to cease fire.
“We have said for some time now that we seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, an end to ongoing human rights abuses and violations, unhindered humanitarian access, and a negotiated resolution to the conflict in Ethiopia, precisely because, in addition to the human suffering, it threatens peace and security in the Horn of Africa.
“This is in some ways an opportune time for the special envoy to engage with senior Ethiopian Government officials, with Tigrayan forces having withdrawn into Tigray, and the Ethiopian Government stating it does not intend to pursue those forces into Tigray” Mr Price added.
He said that the current moment is an opportunity for both sides to halt combat operations and come to the negotiating table.
“There will be no military solution to the conflict. And we continue to support diplomacy as the first, the last, and the only option.
“And we reiterate our call for the Ethiopian Government to start a credible, inclusive national dialogue that includes comprehensive, transparent, transitional justice measures, including accountability for those responsible for atrocities” said Ned.
The Tigray conflict has its roots in tensions that go back generations in Ethiopia. The country is made up of 10 regions -- and two cities -- that have a substantial amount of autonomy, including regional police and militia.
The battle began on November 4, 2020 when Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, ordered military operations in the Tigray region.
The PM claimed he did so in retaliation to an attack by the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) on an Ethiopian military base. The reaction came after months of feuding between the TPLF leadership and the Abiy-led central government.
According to a joint investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the UN High Commission for Human Rights, all parties in the conflicts have committed breaches that can amount to war crimes.
Thousands have lost their lives, many of which are children who died of starvation, all in just a little over a year. In addition, it has made the refugee crisis in East Africa even worse.
Over 60,000 people have left the country, and about two million people are internally displaced, according to UN reports.
