The United States has demanded Ethiopia to fully implement the recent peace deal with the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa and subsequent military agreement reached in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
In a relevant meeting held on Friday, Assistant Secretary of the United States Molly Phee was quoted as saying that Ethiopia should fully implement the recent peace deal with TPLF if it wants to re-enjoy the former good relationship with the US.
The Ethio-US relations have turned sour after a conflict broke out in northern Ethiopia two years ago.
Ethiopia has labeled the US as chief supporter of the TPLF and the US and its allies have been doing all their best to help the group resume power in the eastern African nation.
The support was expressed by issuing a number of statements at times when the government forces took the upper hand during nearly a two-year fighting but preferred silence on death of civilians and displacement of millions of people in Amhara and Afar regions as TPLF troops had been advancing towards Addis Ababa.
The US, through its Assistant Secretary Molly Phee, required none Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) to withdraw from the Welqait area which Phee referred to as western Tigray.
Ethiopia has been suspended from the United States’ tariff-free African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) after a few months the conflict broke out in northern Ethiopia and that has left the African nation to lose $100 million in “hard cash” annually besides making 100,000 of its citizens out of work.
There is also a serious concern from the Ethiopian government that the US, using its influential power, could manipulate the IMF and the World Bank to cut and suspend financial support and aid to Ethiopia.
