Borkena News Desk
BORKENA, TORONTO — The United States Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, has reportedly cancelled a planned trip to the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
According to news sources from the Tigray region, the ambassador was expected to meet Tadesse Worede, whom the TPLF removed as president of the Interim Administration—a key arrangement under the Pretoria Agreement—as well as TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael.
The U.S. Embassy has not commented on the report.
However, Borkena has received a press release from the Embassy spokesperson attributed to the ambassador.
The development comes about a week after the United States Department of State announced visa sanctions targeting those it described as “hardliners” and their families. It has been several months since the TPLF reinstated the regional council and named Debretsion Gebremichael as president of the region.
Furthermore, there have been reports from the region that the TPLF has finalized plans to resume conflict, allegedly with support from the Eritrean government.
The statement from the Embassy emphasized the importance of political dialogue and full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement, which ended what was widely described as one of the bloodiest wars in Ethiopia’s recent history. An estimated 600,000 people were killed during the two-year war between November 2020 and November 2022.
“The United States continues to monitor the political and humanitarian situation in Tigray. It is paramount that political and civil society leaders engage in dialogue and fully implement the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA),” the statement said.
The statement further emphasized, without naming specific actors, that those undermining peace efforts should engage in dialogue and cooperate with African Union–led initiatives.
“Those who are actively undermining peace processes must urgently cooperate with efforts led by the African Union to promote dialogue,” it added.
It also indicated that the ambassador still intends to visit the region in the future “to engage with local leaders and humanitarian implementers.”
The European Union and the United States have been urging TPLF leaders to avoid renewed conflict, warning that it could spill over into the wider Horn of Africa region in addition to worsening conditions in Tigray.
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