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US Special envoy Mike Hammer to visit Ethiopia


Monday July 8, 2024

The U.S. The State Department on Friday disclosed that its special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, is traveling to Djibouti and Ethiopia.

The stated purpose of his trip to Ethiopia is to “attend the African Union’s second meeting to review implementation of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) on northern Ethiopia. “

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He will also be meeting with  Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) authorities in Djibouti. He will be “consulting ” on regional and security issues according  to the disclosure from the state department. However, specifics of the  security matter are unspecified. In addition to the resurgence of Al-Shababa, tension between Somalia and Ethiopia has been causing concern in the region.

The United States has been urging Ethiopia and Somalia to resolve their differences over MoU with Somaliland peacefully. Last week, Turkey initiated a mediation and the two countries are scheduled to meet in September this year for the second round of talks – which will be a face-to-face one.

In Ethiopia, the United States has been toiling to bring about harmony between Abiy Ahmed’s administration and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) after the two forces fought a two-years of bloody war that is estimated to have claimed the lives of about one million people.

“The United States remains committed to supporting the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Interim Regional Administration in achieving a lasting peace, including through an effective disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program for ex-combatants; an orderly and peaceful return of internally displaced persons; and advancing transitional justice and accountability,” said the state department in a media note it published on Friday.  

Special Envoy Mike Hammer will also meet with Ethiopian authorities to discuss the ongoing conflicts in the Amara and Oromia regions. There have been reports that Mr. Mike had been meeting with community leaders and opposition leaders living in the U.S. in connection with the conflict situation in the two regions. Last month, former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew and former Semayawi party leader, Yilkal Getnet, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Masssinga, in Washington D.C.



 





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