ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron launched his latest Africa visit with stops in Ethiopia and Djibouti on Tuesday aimed at shoring up military and economic ties in an increasingly strategic region. The French leader also announced that Rwanda had invited him to attend the 25th anniversary of the country’s genocide, after years of tensions between the two nations over France’s role at the time. The French leader, who is in Kenya on Wednesday for a United Nations environmental summit, has visited Africa multiple times. Macron in Ethiopia met with reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose country is shaken by Sunday’s deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people. The French leader offered support to boost Djibouti’s economy, and President Omar Guelleh called on French companies to invest in local infrastructure.

Source: Ethiopian News March 12, 2019 14:34 UTC