WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the State Department Operations Subcommittee, issued the following statement on the appointment of Jeffrey Feltman as U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. Earlier this year, Senator Cardin and Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) led a bipartisan resolution calling on the government of Ethiopia, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and other belligerents to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, allow unfettered humanitarian access, and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations pertaining to the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

“Congratulations to Ambassador Jeff Feltman on his appointment as the new Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. The region is beset by multiple urgent challenges that require a coordinated, holistic U.S. response, including the ongoing crisis in Ethiopia and the transition in Sudan. Ambassador Feltman’s diplomatic experience at the highest levels of the U.S. government and at the United Nations equip him well to spearhead these efforts. I look forward to working with him and his team to promote stability, human rights, and the rule of law in a critical part of the world.”