Ethiopian Ambassador to the US Resigns

Ethiopian ambassador to the US has resigned reportedly. Engineer Seleshi Bekele was appointed in 2022.

Seleshi Bekele worked as advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). He led talks wit Sudan and Egypt over GERD. Later he was appointed as Ethiopian ambassador to the US.

So far no official statement has been issued by the Ethiopian government. But people close to the ambassador say that the latter wants to pursue a private career in the US and he has submitted his resignation.

This month Ethiopian government and US ambassador in Ethiopia exchanged strong statements. Ervin Massinga, the US ambassador, addressing a gathering in Addis Ababa accused Ethiopian government of imprisoning dissidents. In its response, the Ethiopian government called the ambassador “ill informed.”

It would be interesting to see who will replace Engineer Sileshni. Lencho Bati’s name is being floated. He is serving as the Ethiopian ambassador to a Middle Eastern Country. The man, in the past, worked for Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a political party which for years waged an armed resistance movement before joining political stream in 2018.

US Ethiopia relations improved a lot after war in northern Ethiopia came to end in November 2022. During the war, the Ethiopian government accused the US of backing Tigray fighters. US mediated between Ethiopian federal government and TPLF for Pretoria peace deal signed by Ethiopian warring parties in South Africa in November 2022. Then last year, US mediated between the Oromo Liberation Army and the Ethiopian government in talks held in Tanzania.

Critics are of the view that Ethiopian government needs to review its foreign policy especially with regard to the US. . Ethiopia has been in talks for more than year for a bailout package from US backed financial institutions but no success so far.

Kenya is swiftly replacing Ethiopia as regional hub. William Ruto, Kenyan President, was warmly welcomed this week visiting US and US declared Kenya as a major non NATO ally. Kenya and Ethiopia have been competing to be the hub of East Africa. But the war in northern Ethiopia affected Ethiopian regional reach.

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