Sileshi Bekele (PhD), ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the US, has resigned from his post.

Sources close to the matter disclosed the Ambassador has retired from public service in order to continue to pursue a private career in his field as an hydraulics and hydro engineering expert.

Sileshi was appointed to the role following stints as minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy as well as chief negotiator and advisor to the Prime Minister on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and transboundary rivers. He began his ambassadorship in Washington in 2022.

Sileshi is best known for his firm stance on disputes involving GERD during a series of negotiations with the governments of Sudan and Egypt, the final round of which ended in December 2023 without agreement.

News of his resignation comes amid a spat between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US embassy to Addis Ababa sparked by a controversial speech from Ambassador Ervin Massinga earlier this month.

Nebiyu Tedla (Amb.), spokesperson for the Ministry, said he was not aware of Sileshi’s resignation.