Has Biden remark on Ethiopian crisis revealed a shift in US policy?

Last updated on January 13th, 2022 at 08:01 am

The United States taking a stand in the Ethiopian crisis has now led people to suspect if it is indeed supporting any of the sides in the ongoing battle. Suspicions grew after the president of the United States Joe Biden called Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss the issues.

Many assumed that this may lead to the US actually coming to the forefront to discuss pressing issues and finally support one of the sides. Biden had reportedly requested for a call with the Ethiopian side almost a year after he joined the office while the crisis in the Horn of Africa has been going on for two years.

The final step came when the US envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffery Feltman announced that he will be stepping down from the position and now another diplomat, David Satterfield, will be taking over the office.

Former US envoy to the African nation has been in the position since April last year and he met the Ethiopian president on Thursday last week and finally decided to step down.  “The fact that the two leaders spoke is big news in itself,” said Professor Ann Fitz-Gerald, the director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

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He also stressed that this embarks the journey of a gradual shift in the policies practiced by the American government. It is the first time since the conflict broke in November 2020 that the US has taken up things to be discussed with the Ethiopian side in a one on one manner.

The ongoing battle is between the central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and here the US accused the government in power of having stopped aid that was meant for the Tigray region which could have catered to those in need in the region. The Biden administration has till now focused on the sanctions against Eritrean officials and other military officials who have managed to break into the conflict and bring it back to Addis. However, these calls have not given any solution and failed to broker any punitive measures of ceasefire.