Ethiopia: US to give financial support for reforms

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United States will offer financial support to Ethiopia so it can continue to pursue further political reforms as the country transitions to full democracy. 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed broke the news in a statement during Pompeo’s visit to the country on Tuesday.

“An agreement has been reached regarding the strengthening of the holistic and ongoing reform in Ethiopia to which the United States Government plans to provide substantial financial support”, the statement read.

Neither Prime Minister Abiy nor Pompeo would provide any further details, however.

The US is a longstanding ally of Ethiopia’s, already providing around US$1 billion in aid annually.

Pompeo praised the work already done by Abiy and his administration ahead of the general election in August, which the Prime Minister promises to be free and fair.

“A free and credible vote will show that there is no false choice between democracy and security and it will ensure that everyone has a choice”, Pompeo said.

He further added, “These aren’t reforms imposed by somebody on the outside.  These were reforms that came from Ethiopian people”. 

Senior US officials emphasised Abiy’s desire to hold the election on time, despite internal pressure to delay the poll due to security fears, though contended that Ethiopia’s security officials may need training on the need to respect human rights.

While Abiy’s democratising reforms have been praised internationally, winning him the Nobel Peace Prize last year, they have brought simmering ethnic tensions to the boil, resulting in the internal displacement of more than 2 million people, according to the UN.

As Gedu Andargachew, Ethiopia’s foreign minister contends, “The most important challenge for us is security.  Most of our youth have no job… this situation is difficult to maintain peace and order”.

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS