US delegation to visit KSA, Sudan, Ethiopia
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US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield will visit Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Ethiopia from January 17-20.
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US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield
The US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa will visit Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Ethiopia next week amid ongoing crises in the two African nations, the State Department announced Friday.
David Satterfield and Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee will travel to Riyadh, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa from January 17-20.
In Riyadh, the pair will meet with the Friends of Sudan, a group calling for the restoration of the country's transitional government following a military coup in October.
According to the statement, the meeting aims to "marshal international support" for the UN mission to "facilitate a renewed civilian-led transition to democracy" in Sudan.
Satterfield and Phee will then travel to Khartoum, where they will meet with Sudanese activists, women's and youth groups, civil organizations, and military and political figures.
"Their message will be clear: The United States is committed to freedom, peace, and justice for the Sudanese people," the statement claimed.
Read more: Sudanese protest casualties increase, security officer dies
US visit to Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the pair will talk with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to seek a resolution to the deepening unrest.
"They will encourage government officials to seize the current opening for peace by ending the airstrikes and other hostilities," the statement read.
They will also "demand a ceasefire, the release of political prisoners, and the restoration of humanitarian access."
Satterfield, the former US Ambassador to Turkey, was appointed to replace Jeffrey Feltman as Special Envoy on January 6.
At least 108 people have been killed since early January in airstrikes believed to have been carried out by Ethiopian forces on Tigray, the UN revealed Friday, citing possible war crimes.
A couple of days ago, the Ethiopian government had announced the launch of a comprehensive dialogue in the country with the aim of ending the war, releasing several opposition officials, led by leaders of the Oromo and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
In November 2020, war broke out in northern Ethiopia between the federal forces and the TPLF, which controls the Tigray region, after the Ethiopian government announced the postponement of the September 2020 elections.
