Thread by @althecat

This is an interesting old news story. March 2021, relevant again in light of recent developments at the UNSC and in Addis Ababa.

UN Agency memo sidesteps questions around government’s role in Tigray. foreignpolicy.com/2021/03/09/eth…

"A senior U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Guterres’s own views on the crisis are reflected in recent statements by the U.N.’s chief relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock..."

It's clear from this report - based on a UNDP memo, that as early as February 2021, there were voices inside the UN that were clear eyed about the Tigray conflict and the role of the TPLF in provoking it.

It appears that the UN had to make a choice at this time, whether to support the Govt. of Ethiopia, or to follow the advice of Mark Lowcock (notwithstanding clear knowledge of the overt aggression of the TPLF).

“Everything within the UN rule book tells us it is a moment to engage with the government and people of Ethiopia,” the memo reads. “It is an opportunity to put the humanitarian, development and peace nexus into action."

Unfortunately this advice was ignored.

Here we see @USAmbUN @LindaT_G's views at the time of a March 4th UNSC meeting. Which on the basis of what we saw last week have not changed, notwithstanding a massive TPLF offensive into Amhara/Afar regions.

This article pinpoints where things went wrong.

"The memo summarizes a “scoping” mission to Ethiopia by [which included] meetings with [PM] Abiy and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde. It suggests that Ethiopia’s leadership is open to a broader role by the United Nations."