U.S. Creates Special Envoy Post to Address Crisis in Ethiopia
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the establishment of a special envoy for the Horn of Africa, where multiple political crises are unfolding.
The envoy, who is expected to be appointed in
the coming weeks, will focus on the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and
tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia over a disputed border area, the department
said in a statement Wednesday. The person will also tackle a disagreement
between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, it
said.
The creation of the post adds to the growing
diplomatic pressure Ethiopia is facing over the continuing violence in Tigray.
On Wednesday, Blinken held talks with European
Union foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell to discuss “a variety of measures to
support unhindered humanitarian access, investigation of human-rights
violations and abuses, a cessation of hostilities, and the immediate withdrawal
of Eritrea from Ethiopian territory.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an
incursion into Tigray in November after soldiers allied to the dissident
region’s former ruling party attacked a federal army camp. Four months of
fighting has caused $1 billion of damage to infrastructure in Tigray, Abiy said
on Tuesday.
The impact of the conflict on state finances,
combined with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, led the government to
announce in January that it will seek debt relief under a Group of 20
initiative. Yields on the nation’s $1 billion of Eurobonds have risen 300 basis
points since incursion started.
Advocacy groups including Amnesty International
have alleged war crimes have taken place in Tigray. The humanitarian group
Medecins Sans Frontieres said Wednesday members of its staff witnessed
extra-judicial killings in the region.
The MSF employees, who were traveling in a
marked car, encountered the aftermath of an ambush on a Ethiopian military
convoy between Mekelle, Tigray’s capital, and the town of Adigrat. Ethiopian
soldiers stopped the MSF car and two public buses, separated the men from the
women in the buses, and then shot dead four men, it said.
Ethiopian soldiers later pulled the MSF driver
out of the vehicle, beat him with the back of a gun and threatened to kill him.
“This
horrific event further underscores the need for the protection of civilians
during this ongoing conflict, and for armed groups to respect the delivery of
humanitarian assistance, including medical aid,” Karline Kleijer, head of
emergency programs for MSF, said in a statement.
The government will investigate the MSF
allegations, Billene Seyoum, Abiy’s spokeswoman, said in a response to
questions sent by text message.
“The prime minister has made it clear in parliament that accountability is key,” she said.
