Barack Obama makes first visit to Ethiopia

by serving US president
President’s meeting with prime minister of Ethiopia set to focus on security and threat of Somalia-based
terrorist group al-Shabaab

Barack Obama is meeting the Ethiopian prime minister during the first visit by a serving
American president to the country, a US security ally and fast-growing economy but much
criticised by human rights watchdogs.

Obama’s talks with Hailemariam Desalegn at the national palace in Addis Ababa were expected
to focus on security and the threat of the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia. The US
president, who arrived from Kenya on Sunday, also wants to improve business ties with Africa.

He will also be joined by the leaders of Kenya and Uganda to discuss the crisis in South Sudan. Ethiopia is
home to the African Union (AU). On Tuesday, Obama will address the whole continent from the
organisation’s Chinese-built headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe,
current chair of the AU, will not be attending.

Obama was welcomed on Monday morning at the palace by Desalegn, 13 Ethiopian delegates,
and uniformed soldiers. The palace was built in 1955 to mark emperor Haile Selassie’s silver
jubilee (he was deposed in 1973), and boasts huge rooms, chandeliers, polished parquet floors,
marble floors, large tapestries and a herd of stuffed animals, including cheetahs and lions.
Ethiopia’s ruling party won every seat in the recent general election, and at least one opposition
party has claimed its members were arrested before Obama’s visit on suspicion they would make
trouble.

Ben Rhodes, the US deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, said human
rights would be a focal point of discussion.

“The Ethiopian government has made extraordinary progress in bringing greater development
and opportunity to its citizens,” he said, “but there are very significant restrictions that are not
consistent with the universal values that we stand up for, for instance the need for a free press.

“And we’ve seen too much intimidation, and even imprisonment of journalists, and the need for
a viable space for civil society and political opposition in the country. So the president will be
certainly raising issues related to human rights in Ethiopia, just as he did here in Kenya.”

On Obama’s first stop in Kenya, his father’s homeland, he urged Kenyans to deepen
democracy, tackle corruption and end politics of exclusion based on gender or ethnicity. He also
promised Kenya more security assistance.

“We are strongly committed to partnering with African countries to increase their capacity to
address the immediate threats posed by terrorist organisations,” the White House said in a
statement on Monday.

Ethiopia contributes troops to an AU peacekeeping force battling al-Shabaab in Somalia. The

group has launched several attacks in Kenya; diplomats say Ethiopia’s state security apparatus
has spared it similar assaults.

Obama is seeking to expand business links with the continent, where China overtook the US as
the biggest trade partner in 2009.

“Africa is on the move. Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world,” Obama told a
conference in Nairobi on Saturday that sought to encourage African entrepreneurs and match
them with investors.

Ethiopia, which endured communist purges in the 1970s and famine in the 1980s, has won praise
for pushing growth into double digits and for its range of development initiatives including rural
health programmes.

But it has relied largely on state-led investment to drive growth, which economists say is
squeezing out private business. It remains one of the world’s biggest recipients of aid and is still
among Africa’s poorest nations per capita.

The government has often turned to China to help build new roads, railways and dams in its
efforts to expand the industrial base in the largely agrarian economy. The new metro line that
snakes through Addis Ababa was built by a Chinese firm.
https://ethiopianembassy.be/2015/07/30/president-obamas-visit-to-ethiopia/

President Obama’s visit to Ethiopia

Between July 26 to 28/2015, the first sitting President of the United States of America, Barack
Obama, made a three-days visit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During his stay, the American
President held talks on bilateral and regional issues with the Prime Minister of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He also met with the President Dr. Mulatu Teshome. He made
a historic speech at the African Union on a range of issues that includes human rights, good
governance, democratization, etc. During his bilateral consultation with Ethiopian officials, both
sides have agreed on several issues, including geothermal power generation, cooperation in the
field of intelligence, fight against terrorism, on trade and investment, institutional capacity
building and human rights.
After the bilateral discussions on 27 July 2015 the Ethiopian Prime Minister and the American
President gave a press conference. President Barack Obama said, he was proud to be the first
sitting US President visiting Ethiopia. “My visit reflects the importance the United States places
on our relationship with Ethiopia and all the nations and peoples of Africa”. Ethiopia and the
United States of America share a longstanding friendship for more than 100 years, and
connections between the peoples of the two countries are deep, he said.
The American President pointed out that Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the
world and one of the biggest economies in Africa. In the past 15 years, Ethiopia has lifted
millions of people out of poverty. This economic performance forced the US to shift its strategy
from just providing aid to strengthening economic cooperation. With the recent renewal of
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the American economy is further opening its
markets to Ethiopia.
The US President and the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia frankly
discussed on how to further promote good governance, protect human rights and strengthen
democracy in Ethiopia. According to President Obama, people’s inclusion in the political process
accelerates economic development. Ethiopia is a strong partner of the US and should continue to
foster its democracy, he also said.
The visiting President furthermore underlined Ethiopia is a key partner of the United States in
the fight against terrorism and to built lasting peace in the Horn of Africa region. “Ethiopia’s
contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has reduced areas under Al-
Shabaab control. This past week, Ethiopian troops have helped to retake two major Al-Shabab
strongholds, we have now to keep the pressure on”. President Obama said Ethiopia has the
opportunity to extend its leadership in a way it benefits its people and it sets a “positive
example” in the region. Ethiopia is also a key-partner to resolve the crisis in South Sudan, the
President said.
On his part, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Hailemariam
Desalegn said that US investors will now be encouraged to come to Ethiopia in large numbers.
At bilateral levels, the talks contributed to enrich understanding to fight climate change and work
for the success of the COP21 conference in Paris in December 2015. The Ethiopian government
has furthermore clearly expressed its commitment to deepen the democratization process in the
country, and work to increase the respect of human rights and to improve good governance. “Our
commitment to democracy is real, not skin deep”, the Prime Minister said. Underlining the need
to strengthen institutions and build capacities, the Premier said a strong support is expected from
the United States. Cooperation with the US is also vital for security and peace building in
countries like Somalia and South Sudan. The two partners said they are ready to intensify the
campaign against terrorism in the region.
On 28 July 2015, Barack Obama made a historic speech at the African Union headquaters, both
“as a proud American” and “as the son of an African”. He emphasized that the dignity of every
person is the only foundation of a modern society, in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Africa
has achieved “extraordinary progress” among others in economy, education and health, and
stereotypes about the continent are changing. The world must recognize this: “Africa is on the
move, a new Africa is emerging”. The President said that during his trip to Africa, he
encountered young people having a real eagerness and optimism to achieve more prosperity on
the continent. But along these progresses, good governance needs to be fostered, he reminded.
The US are ready to be the “best friend” of Africa to work on the issue of governance. One of the
most fundamental principles, he stressed, is that nobody can stand above the law. US President
Barack Obama further said that women empowerment will play crucial role for Africa’s growth
and prosperity, and that real development could only be achieved if women are playing an active
role in the society. Good governance and accommodation of diversities are also the best weapons
against terrorism and instability. Africa’s progress will depend upon the respect of human rights
of all people.
A festive reception was organized at the National Palace of Ethiopia in the presence of the
President, the Prime Minister, the deputy Prime Minister, other Ministers, high officials,
opposition political parties, ambassadors and representatives of civil society organizations and
religious leaders. The President tasted the Ethiopian organic coffee and attended an Ethiopian
cultural dance show staged in his honor. During his visit in Addis Ababa, he was introduced to
the remains of Lucy, “the ancestor of humanity”, 3.2 million years old. At the state dinner,
President Obama told the guests Lucy is a reminder that the world’s people are part of the same
human family.
This visit of the American President to Ethiopia shows the existing strategic partnership between
the two countries and the strong people-to-people relation. It has to be analyzed as the
continuation of a strong collaboration, which had already been confirmed in New York in
September 2014, when Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met the President and discussed a
range of issues of cooperation at bilateral and multilateral fronts, that includes economic
development, good governance, regional stability and the fight against terrorism.

© Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels

The new York time

Obama, in Ethiopia, Calls Its Government

‘Democratically Elected’
By Peter Baker and Jacey Fortin

 July 27, 2015

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — President Obama twice called the government of Ethiopia “democratically
elected” on Monday as he stood by the country’s prime minister, two months after elections that
handed every seat in Parliament to the governing party and its allies.

Although human rights groups had called on Mr. Obama to use his visit to press for change, the
president took a mild tone in his public remarks. He gently urged the Ethiopian government to
make room for opposition, while stressing his respect for the country and its challenges in
emerging from a long era of monarchy and autocracy.

“We are very mindful of Ethiopia’s history, the hardships that this country has gone through,”
Mr. Obama said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. “It has
been relatively recently in which the Constitution that was formed, and elections put forward a
democratically elected government.” He added that “there is still more work to do, and I think
the prime minister is the first to acknowledge that there is more work to do.”

The elections in May were condemned by human rights groups as a sham. The government made
it hard for opposition candidates to register, raise money and mobilize supporters, according to
watchdog groups. Peaceful protesters were denied permits, harassed and in some cases arrested.
News organizations were shut down and reporters harassed, threatened or arrested.

American diplomats were denied accreditation as election observers and prohibited from
formally observing the process, according to the State Department, and the only international
observers on the ground were from the African Union. The State Department said at the time that
it was “troubled” that opposition party observers were barred from some locations.

“The recent election in Ethiopia was anything but a democratic one,” said Sarah Margon, the
Washington director of Human Rights Watch. “There may not have been widespread violence or
blatant ballot box stuffing on Election Day,” Ms. Margon said, but “the systematic repression of
basic rights” made it “extremely unlikely that Ethiopians would feel safe enough to express
themselves, particularly if that expression included criticism of the government.”

David J. Kramer, a former assistant secretary of state for democracy under President George W.
Bush, said that Ethiopia has a “very repressive regime” in which opposition parties are not given
a fair chance to compete. “To suggest otherwise is both to misrepresent the true state of affairs
there and to demoralize those struggling to promote human rights and freedom in Ethiopia,” he
said.

Even Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, indicated at a briefing last week that
the result of the election was not credible. “The prime minister of Ethiopia was just elected with
100 percent of the vote, which I think suggests, as we have stated in our public statements, some
concern for the integrity of the electoral process,” she said.

When a reporter at the briefing asked her whether Mr. Obama thought that was a democratic
election, Ms. Rice repeated in a sarcastic tone, “One hundred percent,” as if no further answer
were necessary.
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With a busy diplomatic schedule during his two-day visit, Mr. Obama made the most of the little
extra time he had during this first presidential trip. He managed to see the black-maned
Abyssinian lions that famously live on the grounds of the National Palace (“I’m considering
getting some for the White House,” he joked) and later he got a private showing of “Lucy,” the
iconic 3.2 million-year-old remains of a human ancestor.
 “It shows that every single person here, 7 billion people, including Donald Trump, came down
through this chain,” the anthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged told the president. Mr. Obama
laughed but did not take the bait. During his toast at a subsequent state dinner, though, he cited
his meeting with Lucy and turned it into a message of unity. “We are reminded that Ethiopians,
Americans, all the people of the world are part of the same human family, the same chain,” he
said.

Trips to countries with repressive governments often present a challenge for Mr. Obama as he
tries to balance other American interests against the promotion of democracy and human rights.
Ethiopia has been an important partner in combating the Shabab, a ruthless Somalia-based
affiliate of Al Qaeda. Ethiopia also has an important role to play in resolving ethnic conflict in
South Sudan.

Mr. Obama is the first sitting American president to visit Ethiopia, and he defended his decision
to come. “We don’t improve cooperation and advance the very interests that you talk about by
staying away,” he said. “So we have to be in a conversation. And I think the prime minister will
indicate that I don’t bite my tongue too much when it comes to these issues. But I do so from a
position of respect and regard for the Ethiopian people, and recognizing their history and the
challenges that they continue to face.”

Mr. Hailemariam acknowledged that the country’s system needed improvement. “This is a
fledgling democracy, and we are coming out of, you know, centuries of undemocratic practices
and culture in this country,” he said. “And it’s not easy, within a few decades — in our case,
only two decades of democratization — that we can get rid of all these attitudinal problems and
some challenges we face.”

“But,” he added, “we feel that we’re on the right track, and there is a constitutional democracy,
which we all are obliged to observe, for the sake of our own people and prosperity.”

Asked about the arrests of reporters and bloggers, which have given Ethiopia a reputation as one
of Africa’s leading jailers of journalists, Mr. Hailemariam said he supported journalism as long
as it was “ethical” and not tied to terrorists.

“Maybe those of you who are in developed nations, you can help our journalists, domestic
journalists, to increase their capacity, to work in an ethical manner,” he said.

After the news conference, aides to Mr. Obama rejected suggestions that the president had gone
soft on the Ethiopian leadership, saying that Mr. Obama was merely trying to put the country’s
journey in context. They said Mr. Hailemariam had acknowledged flaws in Ethiopia’s
democracy in public and even more so during private sessions with Mr. Obama.

In those meetings, Ethiopian leaders “expressed some discomfort” with the ruling party’s sweep
of the election because it was “not indicative of the kind of competition they want to have,” said
a senior Obama administration official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.
After years of working on Africa, the official said, “I’ve never seen a day like today.”

Some Ethiopian journalists were less impressed. Reeyot Alemu, 35, who was arrested in 2011
under an antiterrorism law and then abruptly released on July 9, rejected Mr. Hailemariam’s
assessment of Ethiopian journalism. “I don’t believe him, because we have ethical journalists,”
she said. “We tried to work like that, and they arrested us because we criticized the government.”

She said Mr. Obama should not believe Ethiopian officials who tell him they want to make more
room for political opposition. “They just want to pretend in front of Obama and the international
community that they are democratic and trying to improve human rights conditions,” she said.
“When these kinds of meetings happen, it’s always like that.”