Ethiopia: The Spectre of War, the Agony of Peace
The contrast could not be starker. Samantha Power, the administrator of America`s aid agency, was given a red carpet reception when she arrived in Khartoum two weeks ago, for a four-day visit.
Mr Abdella Hamduk, the transitional prime minister, welcomed her to the “new Sudan”. The mantra in Sudan is “freedom, peace and justice”, lofty ideals American policymakers say they are determined to support after 30 years of estrangement with Sudanese authorities under Omar al-Bashir.
A senior official in President Joe Biden`s Administration, Ms Power was warmly received by Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadig and Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Lt. General al-Burhan.
In her own words, Sudan was one of the “more moving trips” she has taken in her career spanning over 30 years, first as a journalist covering the war in the Balkans. Ms Power was in Darfur 17 years ago, reporting on the conflict between rebels in the area and the Sudanese government, the latter accused of committing genocide on hundreds of thousands of non-Arabs.
Her subsequent visit to Addis Ababa was not as welcoming, signalling the growing tension between the United States and Ethiopia over the civil war in the Tigray Regional State, and beyond.
A report released in July this year by the Department of State included Ethiopia in the list of six countries where genocide and atrocities occurred. For the first time this year, it is a report that provided direct detailed accounts of atrocities taking place in specific countries, including Burma, Ethiopia, China and Syria, according to Anthony Blinken, secretary of state.
“These places represent some of the toughest foreign policy challenges on our agenda,” said Blinken.
