The United States Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, issued a strong call for peace and stability in Ethiopia following his recent visit to the Tigray region, where he met senior officials of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Ambassador Massinga’s message comes amid escalating violence and continued conflict in various parts of the country, including the Amhara and Oromia regions.
In his initial message, which was widely shared on social media before being retracted, the Ambassador criticized the Ethiopian government for the use of drone strikes in the Amhara region, accusing it of targeting civilians and residential areas. The strikes and artillery shellings have been linked to thousands of casualties and widespread destruction, according to numerous Ethiopian news outlets, including Borkena.
The recalled statement explicitly urged the Ethiopian government to “immediately cease the use of drone strikes against its people and facilitate resolutions,” marking a rare and bold public rebuke of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration’s military tactics.
However, the Ambassador later issued a revised statement that softened the tone, calling instead for all parties to prioritize peaceful resolutions. The revised message emphasized the urgent need to “put people first” by implementing lasting solutions to Ethiopia’s internal conflicts, enabling displaced persons to return home, ensuring children’s access to education and healthcare, and ending “lawlessness that masquerades as part of armed struggle.”
The statement also urged the Amhara Fano militia to present “realistic and peaceful objectives,” while encouraging the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) to pursue ongoing negotiations aimed at ending hostilities in Oromia. The federal government was commended for efforts to seek peaceful solutions, with the Ambassador calling for these efforts to continue.
Critics argue that the new message overlooks the lack of any credible peaceful initiatives in the Amhara region, which has been subjected to more than 200 drone strikes since the conflict began in August 2023. The Fano militia, which justifies its armed resistance as a response to what it describes as an existential threat to the Amhara people, was characterized by the Ambassador as pursuing “unrealistic” goals without further elaboration on what those goals entail.
The Oromo Liberation Army has engaged in three rounds of peace talks with Ethiopian government representatives in Tanzania, although no agreement has been reached, and the OLA leader was covertly returned to Ethiopia following the latest negotiations.
Ambassador Massinga’s statements reflect the complex and delicate balance the U.S. is attempting to maintain in its diplomatic relations with Ethiopia amidst an intensifying humanitarian crisis and ongoing violence. While affirming the U.S. commitment to Ethiopia’s peace and stability, the Ambassador’s communications underscore the challenges faced in addressing the country’s multifaceted conflicts through diplomacy.
