Robert F. Godec is the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (Credit: U.S. Department of State)

By  Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The United States’ top diplomat in Africa said the U.S.  “is gravely concerned” about the armed conflict in Tigray that has resulted in the death of thousands  in the northernmost region of Ethiopia.  Robert F. Godec, the acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs also reiterated that the U.S. “has been pressing for some time” for the Eritrean troops to be withdrawn immediately. 

“United States is gravely concerned about the conflict in Tigray.  And the administration, under President Biden, has been engaged on this since it came into office in January. The situation is extremely grave.  And urgent steps are needed to address what is really a deteriorating humanitarian situation and a human rights crisis.  There is a growing risk of famine, there is continued violence, and the United States strongly believes that the conflict needs to end immediately, that the hostilities need to end immediately.  There needs to be a ceasefire.”

-Robert F. Godec, the acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs

Ambassador Godec made the remarks Monday during a briefing on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming virtual travel to Kenya and Nigeria Tuesday April 27  where he will meet with the presidents of Nigeria and Kenya. Tuesday’s  virtual tour  will include a meeting with African youth from across the continent.  Blinken will then meet with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama “to reiterate the value of our bilateral relationship and discuss issues of shared importance,” the state department said in a statement.  The armed conflict in Tigray has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced thousands more inside the country. Hundreds of thousands have also been forced to flee to neighboring Sudan. The Tigray region of more than 5 million people is facing shortages of food, water and medicine, according to the United Nations.   Ambassador Godec called for transparency in the joint investigation regarding human rights issues in the region. 

“We need to see the investigation which has been announced, the joint investigation between the Ethiopian. Human Rights Commission and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, carried out.  We need documentation of these human rights abuses.  And then there are really atrocities – and there really are atrocities, unfortunately.  There needs to ultimately be justice and accountability.  Those who are responsible for these need to be held to account.”

Ambassador Godec takes over as U.S. Top  Diplomat in Africa from Tibor Nagy

Credit:  Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times  /  U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy  at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. March 3, 2020 speaks on progress in  U.S. – Africa Policy.

Godec steps into  the position as America’s top diplomat in Africa, which was last held by Ambassador Tibor Nagy under the Trump administration.  Ambassador Nagy really knew his way around Africa  where he served as U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia from 1999-2002, and Ambassador to Guinea from 1996-99, Deputy Chief of Mission at Lome, Togo (1987-90); Yaounde, Cameroon (1990-93); and Lagos, Nigeria (1993-95).  However, Ambassador Nagy got low marks from critics for not pushing to hold Cameroon President Paul Biya accountable for the widespread human rights abuses there.   

Ambassador  Godec,  previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs.  Prior to these assignments, Ambassador Godec was Deputy Commandant and International Affairs Advisor at the National War College in 2019-2020.  He was U.S. Ambassador to Kenya from January 2013 to February 2019.  Ambassador Godec was assigned as the Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya in August 2012.

Before his assignment in Nairobi, Ambassador Godec was the Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the Bureau of Counterterrorism in the Department of State.  From 2006 to 2009, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia.  Ambassador Godec has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and was Deputy Coordinator for the Transition in Iraq, charged with organizing the transition of policy and operational elements of the Coalition Provisional Authority and the standup of U.S. Mission Iraq.