US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) arrives for an official visit to Ethiopia, at the Bole International airport in Addis Ababa, on 14 March 2023.
TIKSA NEGERI / POOL / AFP
- Extremists released a US aid worker who was kidnapped in 2016 and a French journalist who was kidnapped in 2021.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to continue working on the release of Americans detained all over the world.
- Meanwhile, Ethiopia is set to honour post-conflict justice through acknowledgement, accountability and reconciliation.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s two-nation Africa tour last week resulted in the release of two hostages in Niger and Mali, as well as positive calls for transitional justice from Ethiopia’s recently ended two-year civil war in Tigray.
Blinken’s first stop was Ethiopia, where he met the country’s leaders, Tigray officials and civil society organisations.
From the engagements in Ethiopia, he noted that since the November 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (Cocha), “the fighting has stopped, human rights abuses in northern Ethiopia are significantly down, Eritrean forces are leaving, and the Ethiopian government is taking the first step towards transitional justice”.
Human rights organisations that documented atrocities in Tigray piled the blame on both sides of the war.
According to Amnesty International, the atrocities included unlawful killings, sexual violence and systematic attacks.
Blinken said “after careful review of the law and the facts”, the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Eritrean Defence Forces, Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces and Amhara forces committed war crimes during the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Blinken said now that the war was over, the suffering of civilians should be acknowledged and those who took part should be brought to justice.
He said:
Formally recognising the atrocities committed by all parties is an essential step to achieving a sustainable peace. Those most responsible for atrocities, including those in positions of command, must be held accountable.
During a meeting with Cocha signatories, the parties made commitments to acknowledge the atrocities.
Blinken outlined three steps that he said were imperative to breaking the cycle of ethnic and political violence in Ethiopia – acknowledgement, accountability and reconciliation.
He said the US “will stand with Ethiopia as it honestly faces the abuses in its past, provides accountability for the harms committed against its citizens and moves toward a future of lasting peace”.
Release of hostages
While in Niger, Blinken secured the release of US aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was detained in Niger since 2016.
Woodke was taken from his residence in Abalak, Niger, on 14 October 2016 by men in a small pick-up truck who killed his two guards and forced him into the vehicle at gunpoint. They drove towards neighbouring Mali and since then, Woodke was held hostage by jihadists operating in West Africa. The US has been secretly negotiating for his release since his kidnapping.
Blinken spoke to Woodke’s family on Monday after his release was guaranteed.
In a statement, Blinken said he would continue to work tirelessly to get US citizens who were being detained abroad safely back home.
“I have no higher priority than bringing home US nationals held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, and we will continue to work relentlessly to secure their freedom around the world,” he added.
READ | US Secretary Blinken sees marked improvement in Ethiopia after peace deal
One of Blinken’s most widely publicised engagements was in Rwanda, where he continuously sought the release of “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina, a critic of President Paul Kagame. Rusesabagina was jailed for 25 years in 2021.
In Mali, along with French authorities, the US secured the release of French journalist Olivier Dubois.
Dubois was kidnapped in the Malian region of Gao while seeking an interview with the local leader of the Al-Qaeda affiliated group Jama’a Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin on 8 April 2021.
In May that year, the group released a video confirming his arrest.
While his release was a welcome move, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged jihadists to spare journalists while they were in the line of duty.
“Mali’s conflict and constitutional crisis have acutely increased risks for journalists. While Dubois’ release is a relief, journalist safety continues to be concerning. We urge all parties, including jihadists, to refrain from criminal actions to silence the press,” said CPJ Africa programme coordinator Angela Quintal.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” Dubois said while thanking Nigerien authorities for their role in his release, according to media reports.
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