Ethiopia needs to make more progress implementing a peace agreement with its northern Tigray region before relations with the U.S. are normalized, visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Speaking in Addis Ababa, Blinken said Ethiopia must ensure “there are no ongoing gross violations of human rights” and establish an “inclusive and credible” transitional justice process after the two-year Tigray conflict. “Then our own ability to move forward on our engagement with Ethiopia, to include economic engagement, will also move forward,” Blinken said after meeting with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and others. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the Tigray conflict before the peace agreement was signed in November. But the implementation of the peace deal has seen “significant movement in the right direction,” Blinken said.

Source: Ethiopian News March 17, 2023 04:31 UTC