The US Department of State said on Monday that Washington believes that the special envoy has returned to Addis Ababa and that there will be a small window to work with the African Union to peacefully resolve the Ethiopian conflict.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Jeffrey Feltman, the Horn of Africa’s special envoy for the United States, will meet with former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, the regional special envoy of the African Union.
“We believe there is a small window to work with the High Representative of the European Union on the Horn of Africa to make further joint efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ethiopia,” Price told reporters.
Washington has repeatedly called for the end of hostilities in a year-long conflict between the government and Tigrinya troops in northern Ethiopia, which has intensified in recent weeks.
The Tigrinya army and its allies are threatening to advance to the capital. The government declared a state of emergency for six months last week.
In November 2020, a war broke out between the Federal Army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party of Tigray. Since then, thousands have been killed and more than 2 million have been displaced.
Veltman travelled to Ethiopia last week, where he met with Ethiopian and local officials. He returned from Kenya to Ethiopia on Monday, according to Price.
“We are working with the parties to pave the way for stopping hostilities, which is a priority now and in the future,” said Price.
