President Kenyatta Back To Nairobi After Trip To Addis Ababa

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15- President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived back in Nairobi Sunday night after a day trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

While in Ethiopia, the President held private talks with the top leadership of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia led by President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

It comes at a time when the country is facing pressure from the international community to sort out its war with the Tigray which has displaced thousands and killed many.

President Kenyatta last week called on the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – TPLF – to stop hostilities and instead engage in dialogue to resolve their differences.

Uhuru’s visit comes as Ethiopia continues to deal with armed conflict which has raged the country since November 2020.

Last week, Ethiopian authorities rounded up high-profile Tigrayans— from a bank CEO to priests—as well as United Nations staff in a mass crackdown on suspected supporters of rebellious northern forces, according to people linked to the detainees.

The war has killed thousands, forced more than two million people from their homes, sucked in troops from neighbouring Eritrea, and left hundreds of thousands in famine.

Fighting has spread into neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, threatening the stability of Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia declared a state of emergency last week as Tigrayan forces pushed south towards the capital Addis Ababa.

That allows for indefinite detentions and requires citizens to carry ID cards that can indicate ethnic origin.