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US ambassador calls Tigray conflict an unwinnable war
US Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga said Wednesday that the violence escalating again in the Tigray region was an unwinnable war. Massinga warned that additional sanctions could be imposed on leaders escalating tensions.
As fighting intensifies again in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, US Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga described the violence as "an unwinnable war." Massinga said additional sanctions could be imposed on leaders involved in the conflict if tensions escalate further.
Massinga criticized the decision by the leadership of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to launch a large-scale offensive. The US imposed sanctions on the TPLF earlier this year.
The TPLF is known as the political and military organization that took part in the two-year war with Ethiopia's federal government in the Tigray region from 2020 to 2022. The fighting largely ended with the Pretoria Agreement signed in South Africa in November 2022.
Tensions rise in Tigray after peace agreement
Massinga said rejecting the dialogue led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and supported by the African Union would not benefit the Ethiopian people. The ambassador called for avoiding an unwinnable war and urged other armed groups to refrain from taking similar steps.
The US ambassador said additional leaders attempting to push Ethiopia down the wrong path could also face sanctions. Massinga said he believed political dialogue remained the right course.
The intensification of fighting in Tigray and surrounding areas has heightened fears that the war, which killed and displaced large numbers of people before the 2022 peace agreement, could resume.
The Tigray administration said federal forces had carried out attacks in the region and that Tigray forces had responded in self-defense. The African Union on Wednesday called on the parties to exercise restraint and immediately halt the escalation of the fighting.
The African Union said the Pretoria Agreement, signed in South Africa in November 2022, formed the foundation for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia. However, disputes over the status of contested areas, the return of displaced people and the disarmament of Tigray forces remain unresolved.
Tigray forces took control of airports in Mekelle, the capital of the region, as well as the cities of Axum and Shire. Following the deterioration of the security situation, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the three cities.
Seven armed and political groups from different parts of Ethiopia announced last week that they had formed an alliance to coordinate their opposition to the federal government. The TPLF is among the groups in the alliance.
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