Antony Blinken in Brussels on March 24.
Photographer: Martin Bertrand / Bloomberg
Photographer: Martin Bertrand / Bloomberg
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the creation of a special envoy for the Horn of Africa, where multiple political crises are occurring.
The envoy, 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 address a disagreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, he said.
The establishment of the post adds to the increasing diplomatic pressure Ethiopia is facing due to the ongoing violence in Tigray.
On Wednesday, Blinken held talks with Josep Borrell, head of the European Union’s foreign policy to discuss “a variety of measures in support of unhindered access to humanitarian aid, investigations into human rights violations and abuses, a cessation of hostilities and the immediate Eritrea’s withdrawal from Ethiopia. area.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a raid on Tigray in November after soldiers affiliated with the former ruling party of the dissident region attacked a federal army camp. Four months of fighting have damaged $ 1 billion in infrastructure in Tigray, Abiy said Tuesday.
Gives a peak
The impact of the conflict on state finances, coupled with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, prompted the government to announce in January that it would seek debt relief as part of a Group 20 initiative. The country’s Eurobonds have risen 300 basis points since the start of the raid.
Interest groups, including Amnesty International, have alleged that war crimes have taken place in Tigray. Humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday that members of its staff had witnessed extrajudicial killings in the region.
Médecins Sans Frontières employees, traveling in a marked car, arrived in the aftermath of an ambush on an Ethiopian military convoy between Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, and the city of Adigrat. Ethiopian soldiers stopped the MSF car and two public buses, separated the men from the women on the buses, and then shot four men.
Ethiopian soldiers later pulled the MSF driver out of the vehicle, hit him with the back of a rifle and threatened to kill him.
“This horrific event underscores the need for civilian protection during this ongoing conflict, and for armed groups to respect the delivery of humanitarian aid, including medical aid,” Karline Kleijer, MSF’s head of emergency programs, said in a statement. statement.
The government will investigate Médecins Sans Frontières allegations, Billene Seyoum, Abiy’s spokeswoman, said in response to questions sent by text message.
“The prime minister has made it clear in parliament that accountability is critical,” she said.