The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday (April 30) on the first leg of a trip to Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. He was leading a delegation that included the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russell Feingold, the Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Ambassador Donald Booth, and the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issue Catherine Russell. In addition to his bilateral discussions, Secretary Kerry was leading the US delegation to the 4th High-Level US-AU dialogue meeting to discuss security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, the promotion of trade, investment and development partnerships, and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The main focus of Secretary Kerry’s trip, to Ethiopia, South Sudan, Congo and Angola, is on peace and security issues but arrangements for the first U.S.-Africa leaders’ summit, in August, are also on the agenda as is the situation in South Sudan.

On Thursday, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Amina Mohamed and Uganda’s Foreign Minister, Sam Kutesa, met with Secretary Kerry. Their discussion focused on the ongoing crisis in South Sudan and on ways to stop the violence claiming the lives of thousands of innocent civilians. Dr Tedros said IGAD appreciated the continued support of the US Secretary of State and through him of the US Government for their continued support to the regional peace efforts to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. He said “the frequent phone calls and active support of Secretary Kerry was indeed important”. He expressed his hope that this would continue until the problem reaches a solution. Citing the recent massacre in Bentiu, Dr. Tedros described the humanitarian crisis as “lamentable”. He stressed the need to move the talks forward and seek a lasting solution to the problems that had led to the current crisis. He pointed out that the continuing fighting had undermined the negotiations and posed a challenge for humanitarian access. Ambassador Amina Mohammed explained the efforts of the sub-region from the onset of the crisis and stressed the imperative to observe the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, ensure effective and open humanitarian corridors and to continue the talks to resolve the crisis.

Senator Kerry praised the leadership of the region and the efforts and commitment it had shown in the search for peace in South Sudan. He said he was appalled by the violence and the ethnic dimension. He underlined that the leaders of the two warring sides should make sure any who participated in violence were accountable. He said that no sectarian, racial or ethnic violence should be allowed in South Sudan. He assured the Foreign Ministers that the US would continue to work closely with its partners, including the European Union, to help the efforts of the region.

The discussion also covered ways to expedite the deployment of the proposed Prevention and Deterrence Force (PDF). The Ministers and the Secretary agreed to work closely on the need for rapid deployment of the force, its endorsement by the UN Security Council and mobilization of necessary resources for the PDF. They agreed the PDF should have a peace-making mandate which would enable it to protect civilians from any arbitrary killings arising from the ethnic dimensions of the conflict. They discussed ways to expedite the deployment of the Prevention and Deterrent Force; Secretary Kerry emphasized that US was committed to support its deployment. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi have so far agreed to contribute troops to the PDF. The three Foreign Ministers agreed to work urgently on mobilizing capable troops from neighboring countries to be deployed as soon as possible, as decided by the 25th IGAD Heads of State Summit. They also agreed, after considering the recent massacre in Bentiu, that the mandate of UNMISS needed to be reconsidered to help protect civilians; and underlined the importance of translating decisions made by IGAD into action in order to stop the worsening humanitarian situation and restore order in the country. The two sides also agreed on the importance of an inclusive political process in South Sudan.

Later in the afternoon, Secretary Kerry met with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. The Secretary of State expressed his admiration for Ethiopia’s outstanding efforts to bring peace and stability in the Horn of Africa, in particular in Somalia and in South Sudan. The two sides underlined their desire and interest to further strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of trade investment and economy. Secretary Kerry expressed his hope that Ethiopia would play a major role in helping to make a success of the upcoming US-Africa Energy Ministers Conference. Prime Minister Hailemariam stressed Ethiopia’s desire to strengthen its bilateral ties based on mutual benefits with the US. Discussion also covered ways to promote the participation of civic society and developing democracy.

In a subsequent press conference, Secretary Kerry gave his impression of Ethiopia’s development trajectory. He said that on the economic side Ethiopia was really on the move, adding that it was a country generating enormous energy. He said the ongoing construction in Addis Ababa provided a snapshot of the massive development going on throughout Ethiopia. He said “it is no wonder Ethiopia is the eighth fastest economy in Africa and tenth in the world.” He reaffirmed that US would continue to be Ethiopia’s partner in its development efforts. Secretary Kerry said he had raised concerns about Ethiopia’s detention of six bloggers and three journalists during his meeting with the Prime Minister, adding that the US was concerned about any imprisoned journalist, wherever they might be. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister pointed out that the charges against those arrested relate to serious criminal activities and have nothing to do with the free exchange of ideas.

Secretary Kerry noted that he had made a special recommendation to the leaders of Ethiopia to continue to work with the partners of the AU in addressing the challenges facing Africa. He praised Ethiopia’s part in the AMISOM forces liberating towns from Al-Shabaab and in mediating in South Sudan and Sudan. He also underlined the urgency of the need to act in South Sudan where sectarianism had unleashed “horrendous crimes”. In that context, he said President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar should unequivocally condemn those who perpetrated crimes against civilians; and he warned the US might impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for the killing of innocent civilians.

Secretary Kerry also visited the Gandhi Memorial Hospital and the Anti HIV Treatment services in the hospital. He welcomed the fact that Ethiopia had managed to reduce the number of 2.7 million HIV infected citizens in 2004 by a third. He also noted that the number of the HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drug beneficiaries had risen to 335,000 over the last decade from 53,000 and that there had been enormous advances in reducing mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
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Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, May 2, 2014.