Blinken meets Ethiopian government leaders to repair ties

15/3/2023 14:54

        U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to meet Ethiopia's prime minister and foreign minister in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, as the two governments look to repair relations following friction over the two-year civil war in the Tigray region.
        
        Blinken was due to begin his visit with talks with Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen and was also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and leaders of the Tigrayan forces that battled the federal government in the war in the northern region.
        
        He will then head to the West African nation of Niger on Thursday, which has been confronting a growing Islamist insurgency.
        
        His trip is the latest in a series of visits to Africa by senior U.S. officials as the Biden administration looks to reinforce ties with the continent amid competition from China.
        
        The United States was outspoken in its criticism of alleged atrocities by Ethiopian forces and their allies during the Tigray war, which killed tens of thousands of people before a peace accord was reached last November.