- Blinken meets Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy
- Announces $331 million in new humanitarian aid
- US relations with Addis were marred by the Tigray War
- In competition with China, the USA is striving for stronger relations with Africa
ADDIS ABABA, March 15 (Portal) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed discussed efforts to bring about a sustainable peace in Tigray on Wednesday, Blinken’s spokesman said, as the two sides seek to repair diplomatic ties damaged by the war there .
During a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Blinken and Abiy also discussed the importance of accountability for the atrocities committed by all parties during the war, spokesman Ned Price said.
The Ethiopian government and forces from Tigray, a region in the north of the country, signed a peace deal in November that ended a two-year conflict that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
“The Secretary of State reiterated US support for the parties’ efforts to fully implement the agreement to lay the basis for a lasting peace,” Price said.
The meeting is a renewed confirmation of the important partnership between the United States and Ethiopia, he said, echoing a statement by Abiy posted on Twitter after the meeting ended.
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“We agreed to strengthen the longstanding bilateral relationship between our countries with a commitment to partnership,” said the Ethiopian leader.
Later, during a visit to a United Nations logistics warehouse, Blinken announced new $331 million in humanitarian aid to Ethiopia, saying it would provide life-saving assistance to people displaced and affected by conflict, drought and food insecurity .
Blinken’s trip is the latest in a string of visits to Africa by senior Biden administration officials as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with a continent where China’s diplomatic and economic clout is pervasive.
On Thursday he travels to West Africa’s Niger, which is facing a growing Islamist insurgency.
ALLEGED ABUSE DISORDERS CONTINUE
The United States has openly criticized the alleged atrocities committed by Ethiopian forces and their Eritrean and Amhara allies during the Tigray War.
The US government imposed sweeping restrictions on economic and security aid to Ethiopia and banned access to the US African Growth and Opportunity Act, a duty-free trade program that had been a boon to the country’s textile sector.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation and traditionally a US ally in East Africa, accused Washington of interference in its internal affairs and threatened a reassessment of bilateral relations.
She has denied the most serious allegations of human rights abuses during the war.
In a news conference this week, Deputy Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee said additional government steps are needed to normalize US relations with Ethiopia in order to “break the cycle of ethnic political violence”.
Ethiopia is also trying to restructure its debt and secure an International Monetary Fund loan that the state finance minister said was partially delayed by the Tigray War last year.
While the peace deal has allowed humanitarian aid to flow to Tigray, hardship remains immense after the conflict left hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation.
According to human rights groups and humanitarian workers in the region, allegations of abuse, particularly sexual violence, persist after the agreement was signed.
Eritrean troops remain in several border areas while militias from the Amhara region, which borders Tigray, occupy large areas in contested parts of western and southern Tigray, humanitarian workers said.
The Eritrean government spokesman has not responded to requests for comment on the actions of Eritrean troops or any other aspect of its policies.
A spokesman for the Amhara regional government said the people of Amhara are “always willing to cooperate on peace deals and activities.”
letters from Estelle Shirbon and Hereward Holland; Additional reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Bhargav Acharya; Edited by Robert Birsel, Alexandra Hudson, Christina Fincher and Raissa Kasolowsky
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