Another veteran US envoy tapped to handle Sudan, Ethiopia crises

By AFP *

David Satterfield, named as US envoy for the Horn of Africa, pays respects as US ambassador to Turkey during a wreath-laying ceremony at the mausoleum of the Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara in September 2019 – Copyright AFP -A veteran US diplomat who has handled turbulent ties with Turkey was named Thursday to tackle crises in Sudan and Ethiopia as the outgoing envoy looked to make progress in Addis Ababa.

David Satterfield, the outgoing US ambassador to Turkey who has worked extensively in the Middle East, will become special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.

“Ambassador Satterfield’s decades of diplomatic experience and work amidst some of the world’s most challenging conflicts will be instrumental in our continued effort to promote a peaceful and prosperous Horn of Africa and to advance US interests in this strategic region,” Blinken said in a statement.

He will replace Jeffrey Feltman, who quit just as he visited Ethiopia on a bid to encourage peace talks to end more than a year of war following the withdrawal of Tigrayan rebels.

Read more of this story