Washington strengthens diplomacy in the Horn of Africa. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just appointed a US envoy for the region.
Jeffrey Feltman will take on this role. An experienced diplomat, he was formerly US Deputy Secretary of State for the Middle East and then UN Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
While Antony Blinken says he fears an escalation of conflicts in the region, Jeffrey Feltman must play a coordinating role between different states and regional and international actors.
Find a solution to the conflict in Tigray. Avoid an escalation between Addis Ababa and Khartoum that discusses a border area. And relieve tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt around the Ethiopian dam on the Nile. The roadmap that President Joe Biden gave him promises to be complicated for Jeffrey Feltman.
Through his appointment, commentators see in it a desire from the Biden administration to be more present in Africa. And to engage in the fight against terrorism as well as at the humanitarian level and the defense of human rights. A diplomatic approach that violates Donald Trumps that triggered the withdrawal of American troops from Somalia.
The Horn of Africa is a very strategic region for Washington. Due to its location first, between Africa and the Middle East. But also because the Americans are very present there, both militarily and economically, and want to retain their influence there.
However, the task promises to be difficult for Jeffrey Feltman. The African Union recently failed to bring Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt to a renaissance dam agreement. The US envoy also risks clashing with the political sovereignty of countries, especially Ethiopia.
