{US President Barack Obama will in late July become the first sitting American leader to visit Ethiopia and the headquarters of the African Union, the White House said Friday.}<\/p>\n
Obama’s trip to Addis Ababa will come directly after an already announced trip to Kenya, his first as president to his father’s homeland, press secretary Josh Earnest announced.<\/p>\n
Obama will meet both the Ethiopian government and AU leaders, for talks on how to “accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions and improve security.”<\/p>\n
The election of the United States’ first black president \u2014 and the first with an African parent \u2014 raised high hopes on the continent, but Obama has been a cautious friend.<\/p>\n
In August last year, the White House hosted a huge Washington summit of African leaders and the upcoming July trip is intended to build on progress towards closer economic ties.<\/p>\n
A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.<\/p>\n
The International Criminal Court has since suspended that prosecution, citing a lack of evidence and Kenya’s failure to cooperate.<\/p>\n
Human rights groups have questioned the visit to Kenya, but are also asking why Obama is visiting Ethiopia so soon after a contested election.<\/p>\n
Africa’s second most populous nation held a vote in May that was described by many independent observers as flawed.<\/p>\n
{{Source: Agencies}}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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