US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield is on a farewell tour this weekend in Addis Ababa. This is a surprise, because the diplomat was appointed very recently, in January 2022. While negotiations to end the civil war in Tigray do not yield results, this resignation symbolizes the failure of the United States in Ethiopia .
With our correspondent in Addis Ababa, Noé Hochet-Bodin
Washington loses a new key man to deal with the Ethiopian file. After the resignation of its ambassador at the end of January, it is the turn of the special envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield to throw in the towel. As a reminder,he had been appointed to this positiononly three months ago to advance the peace process in Ethiopia.
No official reason for this abandonment of position for the moment. They would, however, be multiple. Some diplomatic sources speak of falling out between the Secretary of State in Washington and the Satterfield team. Others slip that there are tensions with Olusegun Obasanjo, the envoy of the African Union for the Horn of Africa. Finally, an American source claims that David Satterfield would have preferred a more attractive private offer.
The fact remains that the United States finds itself temporarily orphaned by a high-ranking diplomat on the thorny Ethiopian file where, as we recall, no ceasefire has been signed.
This resignation comes at a pivotal moment. The US Senate could soon vote on a series of sanctions against certain Ethiopian leaders accused of human rights violations.