Shortly after presenting his credentials to President Sahlework Zewdie in November 2023, the current U.S ambassador to Ethiopia, Amb Ervin Jose Massinga has embarked on a series of in person engagements with various stakeholders of the Ethiopian politics. Hitting the ground running, Ambassador Massinga embarked on visits to regional states upon arrival in Addis Ababa. These visits included meetings with presidents, university presidents, mayors (including Addis Ababa’s mayor), and religious leaders including His Holiness Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Some of the ambassador’s engagements with these stakeholders have raised eyebrows, potentially exceeding the bounds of typical diplomatic protocol. Some experts in foreign relations criticize the ambassador’s engagement for ‘deviating from the customary diplomatic protocol’.
Recently, he faced accusations of offering ‘unsolicited advice on how best to run a sovereign country’. Amid celebrating the 120th anniversary of the U.S –Ethiopia diplomatic relations, the ambassador delivered a policy speech on human rights and national dialogue, which garnered far greater attention.
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The U.S. has continued being a strong supporter of Ethiopia’s peace initiatives, including the national dialogue, transitional justice, and the DDR(disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration) programs. It has continued urging political actors and fighting groups to seek a peaceful resolution through negotiations ‘reminding’ that ‘those paths bring no solution’.
The ambassador revealed that his government released USD 16.5 million last week to support the DDR program in Ethiopia. However, questions linger regarding the effectiveness of this support on the ground.
In brief interview session arranged, The Reporter Magazine’s Bewket Abebe had a chance to forward a few questions to Ambassador Massinga. Excerpt:
The Reporter Magazine: Your government expresses strong support for the national dialogue and transitional justice initiatives. But, for most stakeholders in Ethiopia, these initiatives in their current forms are simply performative for the international community or a means to secure funding. Given these perceptions, what are your revised expectations for the success of these initiatives in their current form?
Ambassador Ervin Massinga: I respect those who have pessimistic perceptions. I am an optimistic person. I also know that the issues that need to be addressed are complicated. This is not something where the government will be able to quickly solve and address all of the skepticism, and all of the problems, the pessimism. Of course these are problems. Of course there are difficulties. You know them far better than I do in terms of how to move ahead with transitional justice and inclusive dialogue. But I would say, what are the alternatives? Ethiopia is full of incredibly creative people who know how to address their issues far better than I do. All Ethiopians come together to figure out how to make these initiatives work.
The government has created a platform in both contexts. That is a viable and effective one. It is now important for everyone to look at how this might be made active and figure out how to make this vehicle move ahead.
Is there a role your government can play, beyond its current support, to facilitate more inclusive and genuine versions of these initiatives so that they gain broader acceptance and achieve meaningful progress?
We engage with both institutions regularly through a variety of mechanisms and we will continue to do so. We look for other ways to engage. But at the end of the day, this is a process and a challenge that is for Ethiopians to address. The government as the leader of all Ethiopians has a responsibility and it is taking this responsibility seriously to figure out how to make this work. I do not have the answers on how exactly national dialogue works given the current circumstances. The questions that are posed relative to that challenge are obvious ones and good ones. But there are answers. There are responses. There are paths forward. I would simply say, what are the alternatives?
My staff knows that I am perfectly happy to entertain difficult questions about difficult issues. But it is really about how one or an organization finds the answers, finds creative solutions. That is what defines success. And I am very confident that Ethiopia will find success.
Upon assuming your ambassadorship in Addis Ababa, you traveled to the regional states by your own and met regional presidents and other officials including those in higher education sector. Similarly, you’ve met with city mayors including Addis Ababa’s and religious leaders such as the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church here in the capital. Given these extensive interactions with key stakeholders in the Ethiopian politics, what is your perspective on the current state of Ethiopia as a nation?
One thing that continues to strike me in my time here, traveling around, and meeting various stakeholders is just the size and complexity of your country. It is a youthful country. You have so many different linguistic groups, religious groups, with different histories, and histories among themselves. So, learning about your people, your history, cultures and how they interact and trying to determine how they are going to move forward together, I mean I am not here to determine but as an observer seeing how things unfold and how history unfolds today, it is a complex undertaking without a doubt.
But let me come back to unity. Despite all the conversations I have had with stakeholders, high level officials, and normal citizens all over the country, I hear more and more something that convinces me that Ethiopia is a country that is moving forward together, leaning forward together.
Look, we have divisions in my own country. If you look at our media, there is more that divides us than unites us. That is not truth though. It is because you just see something on social media. I think there is something too that here in Ethiopia, there are loud voices that talk about division, loud voices that talk about anger, and looking back with resentment at various points in history. But when I talk to average people, they want to move forward together. Do not know necessarily how, but it is going to happen.
Different people have different hopes and anxieties. What are your hopes and concerns regarding Ethiopia and the American interest here?
If I can use this opportunity to come back that I tried to emphasis last week, which is humility. My government and my people do not have all the answers on what needs to happen anywhere, even in our own country. We are making up along the way every single day. But we have a flexible enough system in our constitution and our understanding on how to use our constitution, which allows us to overcome very serious issues. Very serious concerns that we have encountered over the years, be those from Vietnam to emm..you name it. We have been able to overcome our challenges. And I know that Ethiopia has overcome the challenges in the past and is going to do so today.
Following your recent policy speech, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) indicated that it would work with you [the Embassy] ‘to correct factual errors and inconsistencies in your statement’. Have there been any discussions between you two regarding the issue?
I am in regular contact with my friends at Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as with other ministries and other elements of the federal government here in Ethiopia- very regular contact.
Do you believe there have been factual errors and inconsistencies in your statement? How would you respond to MoFA’s concerns about ‘factual errors’ and ‘inconsistencies’ in your speech?
The Ministry’s statement and its position; It has made its position very clear. So, I would refer you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on that.
But in terms of our relations, our relations are strong, our relations are good, and our relations are regular.
