Nov 17,2021:United States Secretary of State 
warned on Wednesday that the worsening conflict in Ethiopia risks “peace and stability” in the wider Horn of Africa.
Blinken made the comments in Kenya’s capital Nairobi after meeting with Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta and holding the second-ever official US-Kenya strategic dialogue with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo.
The US secretary of state hailed Kenya’s recent efforts to reach a ceasefire between the government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters.
The visit came as the African Union and other regional actors had been scrambling to calm the violence, which began in November of last year when Abiy sent government forces to the northern state of Tigray. Addis Ababa has since been accused of blockading the region and inhibiting the flow of international aid.
Meanwhile, Tigrayan fighters have advanced into the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. In early November, the TPLF announced they had created a coalition with other rebel groups and pledged to march on the Ethiopian capital.
In response, the government has imposed a state of emergency that has seen a wave of arrests, predominantly of ethnic Tigrayans.
International observers have said both sides committed abuses during the year of fighting, which has killed thousands of people, displaced more than two million, and left hundreds of thousands facing famine-like conditions.
Speaking to reporters alongside Blinken on Wednesday, Kenya’s top diplomat Omamo said Nairobi maintained hope that the situation could be resolved before escalating further.
“We believe in the potential of Ethiopia to find a resolution to this crisis,” she said. “We believe that a ceasefire is possible.”
That came after President Kenyatta on Sunday made a surprise visit to Addis Ababa, where Kenyan officials said he held private talks with Abiy and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.
