US special envoy reaches Ethiopia to push for Tigray peace

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Mike Hammer, US special representative for the Horn of Africa, arrived in Ethiopia late on Tuesday “to press for an immediate cessation of hostilities” in the northern Tigray region.

Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) resumed fighting on Aug. 24, breaking a five-month truce and dashing hopes for a mediated peaceful settlement to the conflict.

Hammer will be in Ethiopia and the region from Sept. 4-15, according to the US State Department.

“He will press for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the start of peace talks,” read a statement.

“In addition to meetings with Ethiopian government and African Union officials, Special Envoy Hammer will meet with civil society and political actors representing different regions of the country to discuss how best to promote efforts towards a lasting peace, security, and prosperity for all people in Ethiopia.”

While the statement reiterated the US commitment “to the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ethiopia,” there is a growing sentiment among Ethiopians that Washington has been siding with the TPLF.

The distrust only deepened after Hammer posted a selfie with rebel leaders when he visited Tigray’s regional capital Mekelle a month ago.

Thousands of Ethiopians protested in Washington, DC on Tuesday over “the unprecedented pressure and coordinated biased media campaign” against Ethiopia over the Tigray conflict, Ethiopian envoy Seleshi Bekele said in a tweet.

“The US government has been consistent in its support to the Tigray rebels and one of the reflections of that is that officials of the US, including the special envoy, are quick to blame both the government and the rebels for the conflict,” an Addis Ababa-based political analyst told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.