Antony Blinken in Brussels on March 24.
Photographer: Martin Bertrand / Bloomberg
Photographer: Martin Bertrand / Bloomberg
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the establishment of a special envoy for the Horn of Africa, where multiple political crises are taking place.
The envoy, who is expected to be named 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 on Wednesday. The person will also address a disagreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, he said.
The creation of the post adds to Ethiopia’s growing diplomatic pressure on continued violence in Tigray.
On Wednesday, Blinken held talks with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to discuss “a variety of measures to support unhindered humanitarian access, investigate human rights violations and abuses, end hostilities and withdraw Eritrea from Ethiopia immediately.” “
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a raid on Tigray in November after soldiers allied with the former ruling party in the dissident region attacked a federal army camp. Four months of fighting have caused $ 1 billion in damage to Tigray’s infrastructure, Abiy said on Tuesday.
Overvoltage efficiency
The impact of the conflict on state finances, combined with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, prompted the government to announce in January that it would seek debt reduction as part of a Group of 20 initiative. Nationwide billion-dollar yields rose 300 basis points from the beginning of the raid.
Advocacy groups, including Amnesty International, have claimed war crimes in Tigray. The humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday that members of its staff had witnessed extrajudicial crimes in the region.
MSF employees, traveling in a marked car, faced the consequences of an ambush on an Ethiopian military convoy between Mekelle, the capital Tigray and the city of Adigrat. Ethiopian soldiers stopped the MSF car and two public buses, separated the men from the women in the buses and then shot four men.
Subsequently, Ethiopian soldiers pulled the MSF driver out of the vehicle, hit him with the back of a weapon and threatened to kill him.
“This horrific event further underscores the need to protect civilians during this ongoing conflict and for armed groups to respect the provision of humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance,” Karline Kleijer, head of emergency programs for MSF, said in a statement.
The government will investigate MSF’s allegations, said Billene Seyoum, Abiy’s spokeswoman, in response to questions sent via SMS.
“The prime minister told parliament that responsibility is key,” she said.