The Washington Post published on 21 September 2023 an article titled "State and Justice Dept. Contractor Charged with Spying for Ethiopia" by Spencer S. Hsu.
A contract employee for the State and Justice departments has been charged with passing classified information since August 2022 to an official associated with Ethiopia's intelligence service. Abraham Teklu Lemma of Silver Spring, Maryland, faces three separate counts according to the FBI.
CNN published on 18 April 2023 an article titled "US State Department Establishes Special Taskforce to Deal with Sudan Crisis" by Jennifer Hansler.
The U.S. Department of State has established a Sudan Military Conflict Task Force to oversee developments related to Sudan as law and order breaks down in the country.
Just Security published on 20 April 2022 a commentary titled "How to Fix the Broken Position of U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa" by Cameron Hudson, Atlantic Council.
Two U.S. special envoys for the Horn of Africa--Jeffrey Feltman and David Satterfield--have come and gone over the course of a year. The Biden administration needs a strategy that takes into account all of the Horn's crises and lays out a clear mandate for the special envoy, who also has the full backing of the National Security Council.
The Associated Press reported on 27 January 2021 a story titled "US Says Eritrean Forces Should Leave Tigray Immediately" by Cara Anna.
A State Department spokesperson sent an email to the Associated Press on 26 January 2021 citing "credible reports of looting, sexual violence, assaults in refugee camps and other human rights abuses" in Tigray Region. The statement said there is evidence of Eritrean soldiers forcibly returning Eritrean refugees from Tigray to Eritrea, called for dialogue between the government and Tigrayans, unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray, and the immediate departure of all Eritrean forces from Tigray.
More than 300 former ambassadors expressed strong support for the nominations of Antony Blinken as Secretary of State and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations in a letter just released.
The National Interest published on 11 November 2020 an article titled "Seven Consulates a Biden State Department Could Open to Jumpstart Diplomacy" by Michael Rubin, American Enterprise Institute.
A staff member at the conservative American Enterprise Institute proposed that the incoming Biden administration establish seven new American consulates, including one in Hargeisa, Somaliland. The author argues as China increases its influence in neighboring Djibouti and in Somalia, it is time for the United States to step up its game in Somaliland.
