Ethiopia was embroiled in the Tiger War for almost ten months and refused to negotiate a ceasefire. For their part, Western partners want to start talks between rebels in Tigrayan and Addis Ababa, while the conflict has now spread to two neighboring provinces.
So far, one failure. And the visit of the US special envoy to the Ethiopian capital is unlikely to change the situation.
A week after his arrival, Jeffrey Feltman almost left empty-handed. Twice Foreign Minister of Ethiopia. According to a diplomatic source, he finally got an interview with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
However, neither the Ethiopian nor the Washington government has confirmed this. Jeffrey Feltman tried to negotiate a ceasefire between Addis Ababa and the PFLP rebels. The conditions have cooled down. A mistake that was predictable given the relationship between the two former allies.
Reports have cooled especially since May last year and the imposition of US sanctions on Addis Ababa. Since then, numerous protests have taken place in the Ethiopian capital against what the government calls US interference in the country’s internal affairs.
