US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman meets with Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam al-Sadeq al-Mahdi in Khartoum on May 7, 2021. Photo AFP

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman returned to Ethiopia on Monday after leaving for a short trip to Kenya, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said.

He was set to meet with his counterpart from the African Union, Olusegun Obasanjo, to discuss ways of easing fighting in Ethiopia.

“We are engaging with the parties to try and put them on a path to a cessation of hostilities, which is our priority now and going forward,” Price told reporters during the daily press briefing.

“We believe there is a small window of opening to work with the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa,” he added.

Feltman was in Ethiopia last month and returned this month as part of Washington’s efforts to reach a ceasefire between Ethiopia’s government, headed by PM Abiy Ahmed, and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Ahmed’s government declared a state of emergency last week and vowed to “bury” their enemies in reference to the TPLF.

Fighting has marred the country for a year now, with the UN and US warning of sanctions as the humanitarian situation quickly deteriorates. - Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya