- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a statement revealing that David Satterfield, the outgoing US ambassador to Turkey, will take up the role of US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa.
- The current US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman will step down shortly from his post after a year marked by crises in Ethiopia and Sudan and would continue to serve in an advisory role.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a statement revealing that David Satterfield, the outgoing US ambassador to Turkey, will take up the role of US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. The current US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman will step down shortly from his post after a year marked by crises in Ethiopia and Sudan and would continue to serve in an advisory role.
Feltman, a renowned US diplomat, assumed the post in April 2021 and soon encountered two major crises – Ethiopia’s deepening civil war, as well as a military coup in Sudan in October.
Satterfield, a distinguished diplomat from US Foreign Service has more than four decades of experience. As US ambassador to Turkey, he navigated a strained bilateral relations between the two NATO allies.
The US has been concerned about drones sales to Ethiopia. There were reports about clear evidence that the Ethiopian government used Turkish weapons against rebel fighters. Turkey’s growing drone exports to Ethiopia will continue to be an issue for Satterfield’s old and new roles. The statement expressed the hope that Ambassador Satterfield’s decades of diplomatic experience amidst the most challenging conflicts will contribute to the strengthening of US interests in the Horn of Africa.
.Meanwhile, China also announced the appointment of a special envoy to the Horn of Africa region affected by the conflict between Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Tigray region. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the statement during his recent visit in Kenya,
