David M. Satterfield, U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (Credit: tr.usembassy.gov)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David M. Satterfield in Ethiopia meeting with Ethiopian government, African Union (AU), and United Nations officials. The Special Envoy on Monday met with AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo and AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye to discuss engagement on regional affairs, including Sudan and Ethiopia, the U.S. Department of State said. Since November 2020, thousands have been killed and millions displaced as Ethiopian federal forces and their allies battle Tigrayan rebels. The overall situation in northern Ethiopia is still highly tense and unpredictable, according to the UN. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission also reported widespread abuses, including torture and gang rape and enforced disappearances.
Ambassador Satterfield Replaced Special Envoy for Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman
Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe) President Biden appointed former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman as the new U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Apr. 23, 2021. Ambassador Feltman left this year.
U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman stepped down from his post in February 2022, and was replaced by Ambassador Satterfield. Feltman, appointed by President Biden in April 2021, was initially set to take on his diplomatic role for less than a year. “However, the ongoing instability in the Horn of Africa and the region’s interlinked political, security, and humanitarian challenges demand sustained focus by the United States,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in January 2022. Ambassador Feltman’s appointment in 2021 came amid growing U.S. concern over the volatile situation in Ethiopia, including the conflict in Tigray; escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan.
Ambassador Satterfield was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey on June 27, 2019. Satterfield entered the Foreign Service in 1980 and holds the rank of Career Minister. He also served from June until July 2019 as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State. He served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs from September 2017 to June 2019, and from July 2009 until August 2017 as the Director General of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula. At the Department of State, Satterfield served as Coordinator for Iraq and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq, Assistant Secretary of State (Acting) for Near Eastern Affairs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Chief of Mission in Cairo, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon.
Ambassador Feltman To Continue Serving in State Department, Working with Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Molly Catherine Phee, a career diplomat, is President Biden’s nominee to become his U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. (Credit USIP.org)
Secretary of State Blinken said Ambassador Feltman will continue to serve the State Department in an advisory capacity, working closely with him and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee. “We are fortunate to be able to rely on these two extraordinary diplomats in support of U.S. diplomacy amidst the regional challenges and opportunities we face,” Blinken said.
