US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman is stepping down this month after more than nine months in office, David Satterfield, the US ambassador to Turkey is taking over from Jeffrey Feltman.
Jeffrey Feltman, a veteran U.S. diplomat, took office in April and quickly saw two major setbacks – a deep-rooted civil war in Ethiopia between forces loyal to the Liberation Front, the people of Tigray (TPLF) and the army of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as well as a military coup in Sudan in October.
His unannounced announcement came ahead of a trip to Ethiopia on Thursday to meet with senior government officials for peace talks as part of Washington’s latest efforts to end the Ethiopian conflict.
Jeffrey Feltman, 62, said he had developed a “sense of responsibility” from “retirement” after more than 25 years as a US diplomat to the United Nations, the Middle East and North Africa.
There have been reports in recent days that President Biden has been at odds over how to approach the situation in Ethiopia.
