US Secretary of State Blinken Commends President Ruto for Critical Role in Regional Peace

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday spoke to President Ruto and commended his critical role in regional peace and security in Ethiopia as well as the Horn of Africa. 

In a statement on Sunday, Blinken also said he spoke to the South African Foreign Minister Pandor on how to make Ethiopia peace talks successful.

“I extend my thanks to South Africa for their important role,” he added. 

The war in Ethiopia, between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), resumed at full scale in August, effectively ending the March 2022 humanitarian truce that failed to develop into formal talks.

Blinken has called on the parties to cease hostilities and participate in peace talks organized by the African Union on October 24th after talks called earlier this month aborted.

The aborted talks were to be mediated by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo supported by South Africa’s former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta. Logistical problems were blamed for that meeting never taking place.

The conflict in Africa’s second-most populous nation began in late 2020, when, after a two-year power struggle, a constitutional dispute between Tigray regional and federal leaders turned to war. 

Tigray’s elite had dominated Ethiopia’s politics and security apparatus for more than two decades, setting the stage for a standoff when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rose to power in 2018 and sidelined TPLF.

Tensions spiked when Tigray defied central authority by holding regional elections in September 2020, and erupted into outright conflict when Tigrayan forces allegedly attacked the federal military command in the region.