US envoy for Horn of Africa set to quit amid turmoil in the region

GOOBJOOG NEWS/WASHINGTON DC: The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa region, David Satterfield, is vacating his post after just 3 months on the job, leaving a huge diplomatic void in a region that is facing rising political instability, widespread atrocities, and the threat of famine.

Deputy Special Envoy Payton Knopf will take over the post in an acting capacity, sources said, adding that Satterfield’s departure was not imminent.

The East African situation has become a hot potato for US diplomats, with Satterfield stepping out even before the job begins, same as his predecessor, Jeffrey Feltman, who served as the Horn of Africa’s special envoy for less than a year.

The State Department has avoided giving reasons why Satterfield is stepping down, but has only issued an alert earlier in the day that David Satterfield and his deputy, Payton Knopf, would land in Ethiopia on April 13 for meetings with Ethiopian government officials, representatives of humanitarian organizations, and diplomatic partners.

Satterfield has been pushing for an agreement between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to end the conflict in northern Ethiopia that began in late 2020.