Ethiopian ambassadors being summoned home

May 26th, 2009 | EthioPolitics.com |

GOSSIP - Fortune

The foreign office has recalled several ambassadors assigned across the world back to the base. A series of letters were dispatched to close to at least 10 of them two weeks ago. Gossip suspects that more will be recalled in the coming months.

Of those who will have the delight of visiting their home base soon and become visible in Addis include Kassahun Ayele, Ethiopia’s ambassador to Germany and some European countries stationed in Berlin for the past four years. He was moved from Washington D.C. after his public service as minister of Trade and Industry prior to that.

Grum Abay, first term ambassador to Rome, Italy (he was head of the European and American desk prior to that); Tadeletch H. Michael, Paris, France; Mengistu Huluca, Athens, Greece; Konjit Sinegiorgis, Vienna, Austria; Negash Kibret, deputy head of Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the UN in New York, under Dawit Yohannes; Fisseha Yimer, the longest serving career diplomat representing Ethiopia to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland; as well as Kadafo Mohamed, ambassador stationed in Kuwait; Yosuf Abdullahi Sukkur, mission head in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Abdi Dolal, Harare, Zimbabwe, are all included in the list of diplomats called back home, gossip disclosed.

Nothing has been heard, though, about the two high profile political appointments to Brussels, Brehane G. Kirstos, and Washington D.C., Samuel Assefa (PhD); the latter, however, is in Addis for five weeks now, after he came here following the loss of his mother, the late Sindu Gebru.

What prompted the latest recall of several ambassadors is not clear, claims gossip. There are various hypotheses, though. Some of them such as Fisseha, Konjit, Tadelech and Kassahun have served more than two terms, thus it is time to reshuffle them after four years of their current posting, with the exception of a few, such as Grum.

And gossip foresees a potential need for a bit of movement within the ranks of the foreign office, after some of them have served as directors for sometime now; it may be time to step them up or aside. This may include directors, such as Sahel-work Zewde, another career diplomat who is currently responsible for African Affairs; Menelik Alemu, for International Legal and Consular Services; Tesfaye Yilma, for the European and American Affairs; Teferi Melese, for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; and Misganu Arga, who rejoined the ministry after three years debut with the firefighting cabinet of the Addis Abeba City Caretaker Administration, under Brehane Deressa. He now oversees a super sized directorate with uncharted territories of political, human rights and public diplomacy affairs.

Nonetheless, some at the gossip corridor have a different intake of the latest development, which appears to be an unpropitious move to be made a year after national elections. They would rather take it as a strong signal to clear the path for senior ministers relieved from their current positions subsequent to the highly anticipated reshuffling within Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s cabinet.

After all, is it not a tradition of this administration to dispatch retiring ministers on missions overseas following their loyal services in the executive branch, quips gossip corridors?