The administration of US President Joe Biden is sending its envoy for the Horn of Africa back to Ethiopia, as the situation worsens and Washington struggles to reinforce a ceasefire.
Special envoy Mike Hammer will return to the region for the second time in a month “as part of ongoing US diplomatic efforts to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities in northern Ethiopia and support the launch of African Union-led peace talks”, the State Department said.
M Hammer's two-week trip began in Kenya on Monday and he will continue to South Africa and Ethiopia from there.
He will meet Kenyan and African Union officials, with both the country and the pan-African body involved in mediation efforts in Ethiopia.
He will then head to Pretoria to follow up on talks held in Washington last week during the US-South Africa Working Group on African and Global Issues.
In Addis Ababa, the US envoy will meet Ethiopian officials, as well as UN representatives and others delivering humanitarian assistance to the region, the Biden administration said.
His trip comes after a ceasefire between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) collapsed last August.
Forces from neighbouring Eritrea and allied regional militias continue to fight alongside the Ethiopian army against the TPLF.
Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies last week show a build-up of Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border and near the Tigray region.
The renewal of hostilities is exacerbating an already dire situation, the UN has said, with the World Food Programme estimating that 13 million people need food aid across northern Ethiopia.
“The situation on the ground now is as bad as it has ever been, perhaps even worse,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
“We are hearing reports of hundreds of thousands of troops being mobilised and tens of thousands of battlefield deaths on both sides.
"That's in addition to the dire humanitarian situation in Tigray that has 90 per cent of the population listed as food insecure.”
While Mr Hammer’s trip signals increasing engagement from Washington, the Biden administration has come under criticism over the inefficacy of its diplomacy and having no road map for peace.
“This trip gives the impression that Washington is working hard, but I question whether we [the US] are working smart,” Mr Hudson told The National.
The US approach for the past few months has been to offer backing for the AU process — which is now on life support.
“The stops in Kenya and South Africa [for Mr Hammer] both appear aimed at enlisting the support of powerful AU members states to help jump-start a process that has manifestly failed to end fighting or increase humanitarian access,” Mr Hudson said.
A former member of the George W Bush administration, he urged the Biden team to use its “diplomatic toolkit”, including punitive measures on the parties fuelling the war.
“There has been virtually no personal diplomatic involvement by [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken or the president in the last year,” Mr Hudson said.
Mr Hammer is the third envoy the Biden administration has named to the region, after the resignations of Jeffrey Feltman and David Satterfield this year.
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude