London: Britain has appointed a new envoy for Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, a strategic region beset by numerous security and humanitarian crises.
The appointment of diplomat Sarah Montgomery was announced on Tuesday as Beijing’s special envoy horn Africa was in Ethiopia to play a major role in the region.
Britain’s relations with the Red Sea region are at a turning point, from the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa to our deepening ties in the Gulf, Britain’s Africa Minister Vicky Ford said in a statement.
The Horn of Africa has a strategic position opposite the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Aden.
Montgomery was previously at the British Embassy in Washington and has also held senior roles in the Gulf, Yemen and Iran sections of the UK. National Security Secretariat, the statement said.
“His experience on security issues in the Gulf suggests that the Red Sea will be his focus,” said Ben Hunter, East Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
“Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have become a major security and economic player in Horn.”
Three countries in the region – Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia – are in the grip of a severe drought, with warnings that Somalia threatens famine.
Northern Ethiopia The war has erupted between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in November 2020, and the country is also rocked by several local conflicts of varying intensity.
China’s special envoy Xu Bing, who was appointed to the role in February, said on Tuesday after a two-day regional conference in Addis Ababa that Beijing wants to play a “more important role” in promoting peace and security in the Horn. Is.
The United States earlier this month named veteran diplomat Mike Hammer as its latest envoy to the Horn, with the delicate task of building on Ethiopia’s fragile efforts for peace.
The appointment of diplomat Sarah Montgomery was announced on Tuesday as Beijing’s special envoy horn Africa was in Ethiopia to play a major role in the region.
Britain’s relations with the Red Sea region are at a turning point, from the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa to our deepening ties in the Gulf, Britain’s Africa Minister Vicky Ford said in a statement.
The Horn of Africa has a strategic position opposite the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Aden.
Montgomery was previously at the British Embassy in Washington and has also held senior roles in the Gulf, Yemen and Iran sections of the UK. National Security Secretariat, the statement said.
“His experience on security issues in the Gulf suggests that the Red Sea will be his focus,” said Ben Hunter, East Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
“Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have become a major security and economic player in Horn.”
Three countries in the region – Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia – are in the grip of a severe drought, with warnings that Somalia threatens famine.
Northern Ethiopia The war has erupted between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in November 2020, and the country is also rocked by several local conflicts of varying intensity.
China’s special envoy Xu Bing, who was appointed to the role in February, said on Tuesday after a two-day regional conference in Addis Ababa that Beijing wants to play a “more important role” in promoting peace and security in the Horn. Is.
The United States earlier this month named veteran diplomat Mike Hammer as its latest envoy to the Horn, with the delicate task of building on Ethiopia’s fragile efforts for peace.