U.S. Special Envoy for Horn of Africa to step down soon - sources
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[April 13, 2022]
By Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Envoy
for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield will step down from his role
before summer, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, after
less than six months on the job and at a time of persistent political
turmoil in the region.
Deputy Special Envoy Payton Knopf will take over the post in an acting
capacity, sources said, adding that Satterfield's departure was not
imminent.
Earlier, the State Department announced Satterfield and Knopf were set
to arrive in Ethiopia on Wednesday, for meetings with Ethiopian
government officials, representatives of humanitarian organizations, and
diplomatic partners.
The State Department had no official comment when asked about
Satterfield's departure.
The news of Satterfield's expected departure, first reported by the
Foreign Policy magazine, comes at a time of multiple crises in the
region.
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A more than year-long conflict in Ethiopia has sparked accusations of
atrocities on both sides, while Sudan is in economic and political
turmoil following an October coup.
The frequent change of personnel also raises questions about the Biden
administration's commitment to the region, particularly at a time when
it is grappling with pressing foreign policy crises elsewhere, primarily
the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The region remains an "absolute priority" for the administration, a
senior State Department official said, without elaborating further.
Satterfield, a long-time career diplomat with decades of experience, had
replaced Jeffrey Feltman, another veteran U.S. diplomat who had stepped
down at the end of last year after about nine months in the job. Feltman
continues to serve in an advisory capacity.
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![](../images/041322PIX/news_n69.jpg)
Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs,
David Satterfield, prepares ahead of his address to the 11th Annual
International Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Amir
Cohen/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/13/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png) Two leading human rights groups last
week accused armed forces from Ethiopia's Amhara region of waging a
campaign of ethnic cleansing against ethnic Tigrayans during a war
that has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than a
million.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a joint
report that abuses by Amhara officials and regional special forces
and militias during fighting in western Tigray amounted to war
crimes and crimes against humanity. They also accused Ethiopia's
military of complicity in those acts.
Ethiopia's government said in a statement last week it was committed
to holding all those responsible for violations of human rights and
humanitarian law accountable.
Amhara government spokesman Gizachew Muluneh told Reuters last week
the allegations of abuses and ethnic cleansing in western Tigray
were "lies" and "fabricated" news.
Last week, the United States expressed concern about reports of
ethnically motivated atrocities Tigray and called for an end to
unlawful detentions based on ethnicity.
In Sudan, the military takeover derailed a transition that had
raised hopes of an end to decades of autocracy, civil conflict and
economic isolation after former president Omar al-Bashir was
overthrown in a 2019 uprising.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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