Blinken in Ethiopia as country recovers from Tigray conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and others about the recovery from a devastating two-year conflict in the country’s Tigray region that killed hundreds of thousands of people
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and others about the recovery from a devastating two-year conflict in the country’s Tigray region that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Blinken will address journalists later Wednesday about his visit that Ethiopia’s government said also includes discussions about a dispute with downstream Egypt over Ethiopia’s completion of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam.
Ethiopia’s government is eager to see the return of economic and other assistance from the U.S. and others, but there are concerns about how the government will address the widespread human rights abuses committed by all sides in the conflict. The government has objected to a United Nations commission of inquiry.
“There’s a lot to be done,” Blinken told Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen. “But the most important thing is to keep the peace that has now taken hold in the north and to strengthen our ties as we move along.”
A peace deal signed by the government and Tigray representatives in November is still being implemented in a region of more than 5 million people that saw communications, banking and other basic services cut off for much of the conflict. Humanitarian organizations now returning to the region report hunger and lack of medical supplies, with many health centers damaged or destroyed.
A major challenge to the peace deal is the presence of troops from neighboring Eritrea, which was allied with Ethiopia’s government in the conflict and was not a party to the agreement. Observers have said the Eritreans have pulled back to border areas.