Blinken will visit Addis Ababa and Niamey from Tuesday to discuss the peace deal that ended hostilities in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and anti-terrorism efforts targeting Islamist extremists in Niger and the wider Sahel. His trip will be the fourth high-profile visit to Africa by top members of the Biden administration this year. But the top US diplomat for Africa said Friday that a full normalization of relations will depend on more action from Addis Ababa, especially after the “earth-shattering” Tigray conflict. “What we want to do is reshape our engagement with Ethiopia,” said Molly Phee, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs. An estimated 500,000 civilians were killed in the two-year conflict that ended with a peace deal signed in South Africa in November.

Source: Ethiopian News March 11, 2023 05:56 UTC