ADDIS ABABA – In an official press statement , United States Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga expressed deep disappointment over the renewed outbreak of hostilities in Northern Ethiopia, describing the decision by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) leadership to launch a large-scale offensive as an “unwinnable fight.”
Ambassador Massinga highlighted that the TPLF leadership elements of which were placed under U.S. sanctions earlier this year had made a grave mistake by rejecting African Union-sponsored dialogue under former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Massinga emphasized that returning to armed conflict offers no relief to the civilian population and issued a direct warning to other armed factions across the country to avoid joining the military offensive.
He noted that the United States retains structural sanction mechanisms to target additional leaders attempting to push Ethiopia toward instability, while reaffirming that reasonable political dialogue remains the only viable path forward.
The ambassador’s statement coincides with heightened U.S. concern over deteriorating humanitarian conditions and safety risks facing aid workers in the region. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs separately condemned a recent drone strike hitting a Catholic Relief humanitarian convoy transporting life-saving supplies to internally displaced persons in Tigray. Calling for a full public investigation into the strike, American officials reiterated that life-saving aid must reach vulnerable communities unimpeded and urged all parties to uphold international humanitarian obligations.
