US envoy to visit Turkey, UAE, Egypt to seek support over Ethiopia conflict

US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman will visit Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.

Feltman is leaving to pursue support for diplomacy as the first and the only option to achieve a cessation of hostilities, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday.

Feltman will discuss with his counterparts "what it is that the international community seeks when it comes to Ethiopia, and that is chiefly a negotiated resolution to the conflict because we know that the conflict threatens the peace and security in the Horn of Africa," Price noted.

Price reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict in Ethiopia.

READ MORE: Ethiopia recaptures strategic towns from rebels

Over a year of ongoing fighting 

The United States has repeatedly called on parties to the conflict immediately to end hostilities, but fighting has continued between the Ethiopian government and rebel groups, primarily the Tigray People's Liberation Army (TPLF). 

In its 13th month, the armed conflict between government forces and rebels has claimed thousands of innocent lives and left many others facing famine-like conditions as affected areas are cut off from international aid.

The violent confrontation escalated after the Tigrayan rebels and some anti-government factions allied against Ethiopia's government and marched to take Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital.

The country's parliament in the capital in November declared a state of emergency and the military prepared for confrontations with Tigrayan rebels.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed moved on to the frontline to fight with rebels and the government said that the army retook some strategic locations from the TPLF.

READ MORE: Ethiopian PM returns from war front after govt forces retake key towns