When the Danish diplomat started her three-year stint as the European Union’s ambassador to the African Union in September 2020, the Ethiopian capital was grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Soon afterwards the Tigray war broke out, and in November 2021 she had to oversee the evacuation of her staff as fighting came within 200km of the city. That meant Markussen had to spearhead the EU-Africa summit in February 2022 with a skeleton crew. Markussen is reflecting on these challenges near the end of her time as the woman leading Europe’s engagement with Africa. The EU is the biggest funder of peace and security efforts in Africa,

Source: Ethiopian News July 07, 2023 13:30 UTC