News Masinga calls for political resolution in Ethiopia
By Sisay Sahlu and Abraham Tekle
June 14, 2025
Taking a much more conciliatory tone than a now retracted statement, the US ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Masinga has called for a political resolution to Ethiopia’s ongoing conflicts.
Masinga who retracted a previous statement urging government to stop what he had described as the Ethiopian government’s drone attacks on civilians, said the government had better enter a political dialogue with rebels, namely Fano in Amhara and the Oromo Liberation Army (aka Scheme) in Oromia.
He made the remarks on Thursday during a press conference he gave to a small group of journalists.
Massinga underscored the necessity of a political resolution, emphasizing that all stakeholders must recognize its importance.
By way of explanation on his retracted social media statement posted on May 23 which was later edited, and reposted, the ambassador described it as just an administrative error.
“It was a mistake. This was nothing more, nothing less than a mistake. We took an earlier draft one that I had never really seen or approved and due to an administrative error, it was unfortunately published. We then reverted back to the correct statement,” he said.
“We recognize that the current situation is not sustainable without a political resolution. I am positive and optimistic in a certain sense because the response from my statement we saw from some factions such as the OLA and certain elements of FANO was encouraging. Of course, they presented long lists of preconditions, but we understand that such preconditions are often for public consumption.”
He further noted that “At this point, both the federal government and the factions must find a way to make this more concrete”.
When asked whether he had engaged in private discussions with the Ethiopian government regarding conflict resolution, Massinga said, “We will always have private discussions with the government about our desire and ideas on how this region can move forward rather than backward. However, much of our engagement will remain government-to-government in diplomatic contexts.”
The ambassador also addressed concerns about certain armed groups, stating “There are individuals or groups who masquerade as freedom fighters but, in reality, are working for their own interests. This is a real tragedy. These groups prey upon some of the most vulnerable people in Ethiopia—engaging in kidnapping and various forms of criminality under the guise of a political struggle. This is a serious issue.”
The Trump administration stated from the beginning of its tenure that it intended to reduce the number of special envoys seen in previous administrations and instead focus on engaging and developing policy through embassies on the ground—without relying on a large number of special envoys, he explained.
Despite this shift, Massinga reassured that the vast majority of humanitarian assistance previously programmed for Ethiopia yet still continues.
“Specifically, 89% of humanitarian assistance that was previously programed has been restored for continued implementation. This ensures that our government, in cooperation with key stakeholders and partners on the ground, can respond to and support internally displaced persons and vulnerable communities. This is something we consider very important,” he stated.
Moreover, he said, 77% of previously allocated funding for development and humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia remained available.”We are making a fundamental shift away from traditional programing and instead focusing on the private sector as the engine of growth—just as it is in our own country.”