United States appoints Tracey Ann Jacobson as new interim Charge d'Affaires in Ethiopia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, January 31 appointed Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, a member of the Senior Foreign Service, as the interim Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Ethiopia, according to a US State Department press release. Ambassador Jacobson was appointed by Blinken to carry forward the efforts of Ambassador Geeta Pasi on negotiating an immediate cease-fire, stopping human rights violations, and brokering a truce in Ethiopia's conflict. 

Pasi, who served as a Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, and completed ambassadorial assignments in Chad and Djibouti, would now retire to “pursue other opportunities,” Washington on Monday informed. “We are particularly grateful for her stewardship of Embassy Addis Ababa during an exceptionally complex period,” the State Department said. Jacobson is a career diplomat who has previously served as the United States ambassador to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kosovo.

“The Secretary of State selected Ambassador Jacobson to continue the work undertaken by Ambassador Pasi to press for an immediate cessation of hostilities, an end to ongoing human rights abuses and violations, unhindered humanitarian access, and a negotiated resolution to the conflict in Ethiopia,” the US State Department said.

US scrapped Ethiopia's trade benefits, recalled staff 

Last month, the US unilaterally halted Ethiopia’s eligibility for the trade benefits despite pleas by some of the US legislators and Ethiopian lobby groups that the Biden administration must give the country more time to comply with his administration's demands. The move was prompted due to the escalating conflict in Ethiopia, as the government declared a nationwide state of emergency in early November.

Fighting between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group intensified with the latter claiming major advances on a key highway to the capital Addis Ababa. Ethiopia’s state-affiliated human rights watchdog criticised the detention of thousands of people and targeting of the Tigrayans by Addis Ababa. Pro-Abiy forces also recaptured the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela. 

The US embassy had announced the departure of its non-emergency staff, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark last year in November. Several countries urged all of their citizens to leave Ethiopia due to the continuing conflict. A report also found that Ethiopian authorities prevented trucks from delivering desperately needed food and other aid into Tigray. Scores of people starved to death, The Associated Press reported.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has been embroiled in a year-long war against Tigrayan forces despite the ceasefire brokered earlier by the African nations, Western states, and the UN Security Council. "Incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence are occurring without warning. The situation may escalate further and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts, and travel disruptions," the US Embassy said on its website as it asked its staff to immediately leave the conflict-ridden country.