Ethiopia has announced the appointment of its former Foreign Minister Marcos Tekle, as its new ambassador to Egypt, to succeed Ambassador Dina Mofti. It has also appointed a new ambassador to Khartoum, Yelbital Emero. Tekle is considered one of the most prominent Ethiopian diplomats and has a close relationship with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He previously oversaw Ethiopia’s foreign affairs and is a representative to the World Bank. Ethiopia withdrew its ambassadors to Egypt and Sudan early this month, following the diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Ethiopia after the failure of the Renaissance Dam negotiations in the United States.

The Renaissance Dam crisis became even more complicated last month after Ethiopia was absent from the last round of negotiations brokered by the United States and the World Bank. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry announced its withdrawal from the negotiations and its rejection of the draft agreement.