May 23, 2025
Borkena
Toronto – The United States Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, on Friday released a message calling for peace and stability in Ethiopia.
His message came days after his visit to the Tigray region of Ethiopia where he met with senior Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) officials. He reportedly called on the TPLF officials to respect the rules of the country.
His first message, on Friday, recalled after it was widely circulated on social media platforms. However, many Ethiopian activists and media outlets captured a screenshot of his message which appears to be critical of the Ethiopian government over drone strikes in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. There have been accusations, as reported by many Ethiopian news outlets including Borkena, that the Ethiopian government targets civilians in towns and residential areas in drone attacks and artillery shillings.
In the recalled message, Ambassador Massinga was bold in making a call for the Ethiopian government to end drone strikes and seek peaceful resolution. He emphasized that the Ethiopian government needs to “immediately cease the use of drone strikes against its own people and facilitate resolutions.” However, the statement was removed in the message that was shared after the first one was recalled. The full content of the latest message reads :
“As we mark another year of ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia, it is crucial to reflect on their impacts on all Ethiopian people. It is time to put people first by implementing lasting solutions to Ethiopia’s internal conflicts , enabling internally displaced persons to return home, ensuring children can attend school and access health care, and ending lawlessness that masquerades as part of armed struggle.
The United States urges Fano to come forward with realistic and peaceful objectives; we call for the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) to move ahead with negotiations to end fighting in Oromia; and we call on the Federal government to continue seeking peaceful resolutions without violence and prioritize the safety and wellbeing of its citizens.
It is time to pursue peace and Stability.
Ambassador Ervin Massinga”
As could be seen from the message, in his new message the Ambassador conveyed a message that rather sounds like the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government is making an effort to end the conflict peacefully and the Ambassador urged it to “continue” the effort. However, there are no known efforts to end the conflict in the Amhara region, where there had been more than 200 drone strikes since the conflict started in August 2023, peacefully.
Rather the Ambassador painted a picture of Fano pursuing unrealistic goals. He also called them to pursue them peacefully. What is not realistic was unspecified. Political forces in Ethiopia have been critiquing the government for making peaceful struggle “impossible.” The Fano forces justify their armed struggle with a mission to reverse existential threat to the Amhara People.
The Ambassador also called on the Oromo Liberation Army to continue negotiation with the government. The OLA has three rounds of talks with representatives of the Ethiopian government in a negotiation arranged in Tanzania. The OLA leader was then clandestinely flown back to Ethiopia after the negotiation ended with no agreement.
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