US Special Envoy Returns To Ethiopia To Press For Cessation Of Hostilities - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2021) US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman returned to Ethiopia this week to continue to press the warring parties there to negotiate a ceasefire, State Department spokesperson Ned price said in a press briefing.

"When it comes to Ambassador Feltman's activity in the region, he returned to Ethiopia today from Kenya to continue to urgently press the parties to de-escalate the conflict and negotiate a cessation of hostilities," Price said on Monday.

Moreover, Feltman may have a small opportunity to work with the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo to address the crisis in Ethiopia and the two are expected to meet in Addis Ababa.

On Thursday, the Ethiopian parliament declared a six-month state of emergency throughout the country to protect the population from the rebels of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray who are advancing upon the country's capital. This development prompted several countries to start evacuating their diplomatic missions.

Northern Ethiopia has been engulfed by the internal conflict since October of last year, when the central government accused the PNLF of attacking a military base and launched a counter operation in Tigray. The hostilities have been going on since despite a June ceasefire.