Thread by @althecat

There was a marked change in tone in the UNSC meeting held 8th November on "Peace and Security in Africa" which addressed the escalating conflict in Ethiopia.

Most notable of all was the statement from @USAmbUN which came at the end.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1458229129116061707

Amb. Linda Thomas Greenfield finally delivered a full throated condemnation of TPLF violence in Amhara and Afar demanding their withdrawal nearly four months after TPLF forces launched its offensive in mid-July, after rejecting a unilateral ceasefire announced by GoE on 28 June.

Yesterday's @StateDept briefing from Ned Price @StateDeptSpox also covered the escalating crisis in Ethiopia closely - the UNSC and the US are now deferring to the mediation effort led by former Nigerian President @Oolusegun_obj. state.gov/briefings/depa…

Former President Obasanjo travelled to Mekelle before the UNSC meeting. He did not provide details in his briefing of what he was told by the TPLF. But reports the cities of Dessie and Kombulcha are now back under Ethiopian Govt. control may indicate TPLF forces have withdrawn.

Here's a continuation of the State Dept presser discussion of the conflict in Ethiopia, which very clearly shows that U.S. media interest in the year old conflict has now reached a new zenith.

And there's more.... (yesterday's briefing followed a pretty tetchy briefing discussion on Ethiopia on Monday involving the same reporter @APDiploWriter matt Lee from @AP.)

The Ethiopia exchange finally ended with this exchange, which I read as @APDiploWriter raising questions as to whether the United States is playing a significant role in this conflict.

Close observers of this war will be aware that Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman has made numerous failed missions to the region to attempt to calm several different crises. Most recently a trip in early October to prevent a coup in Sudan that failed.

Sudan came up later in the very long briefing in this question. It appears that the US has not yet actually cancelled its 700 million US aid package that it had announced would be cancelled unless the coup were reversed. Which it hasn't been.

Finally in this exceedingly Horn of Africa focussed and very long State Dept briefing we have some questions on Egypt, a nation which is allegedly responsible for the coup in Sudan, and with which the US made an extensive strategic partnership announcement yesterday.

The questions above addressed human rights concerns about Egypt. And these were also addressed in remarks delivered following the strategic partnership announcement from @SecBlinken and Egypt's FM Shoukry.

Selected extracts on Sudan/HR. Here's @SecBlinken.

Perhaps tellingly @SecBlinken's final sentence also mentioned human rights. But the bulk of his remarks addressed common interests, and things like military cooperation and #COP27.

@SecBlinken Egypt's Foreign minister Sameh Shoukry did not address the subject of Sudan, nor the Grand Renaissance Ethiopia Dam, which is the source of tension between Ethiopia and Egypt, and possibly also one of the reasons for Egyption sponsorship of a coup in Sudan. He did address HR.

Those concerned about Egypt and Sudan possibly being actively involved in the escalating conflict in Ethiopia, may find these remarks ironic.

Finally there is a mention of the #GERD Grand Renaissance Ethiopia Dam from @SecBlinken.

There are a number of questions raised by the timing of this announcement by the US wrt to Egypt, as there as also with the timing of the announcement of the decision made in September for Egypt to host #COP27, made by John Kerry on October 2nd.

Whilst correlation is not causation it is notable that US HoA envoy Jeffrey Feltman was dispatched to Sudan - to try to prevent the coup - on the same day as John Kerry's announcement.

The coup on 25th October, took place on the eve of COP26, and resulted in Sudan PM Hamdock not attending.

/ends

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