US President Barack Obama will be the first-ever US president to address the African Union on Tuesday, in the culmination of a short tour of the region that has seen him focus on security and human rights.
Obama is in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa , the seat of the pan-African body, where he has already praised the country as a key partner in the war against Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
Obama will be the first US leader to deliver a speech at the 54-member body, with security and action against terrorism likely to dominate the agenda.
On Monday, Mr Obama praised Ethiopia as an “outstanding partner” in taking on militant Islamists.
He said Ethiopia had weakened al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group in Somalia.
The US president was speaking after talks with Ethiopia’s PM Hailemariam Desalegn, during the first ever visit by a US president to the East African state.
Addressing the media, Mr Obama described the Ethiopian government, which won all parliamentary seats in May’s election, as “democratically elected”.
Opposition group have said the poll was rigged.
Mr Obama flew to Ethiopia after a two-day visit to Kenya where he had discussed trade and security but also called for greater human rights and warned of the dangers of corruption.
“Part of the reasons we’ve seen this shrinkage of Shebab in East Africa is that we’ve had our regional teams,” Obama said, referring to African Union and Somali government troops.
“We don’t need to send our own Marines in to do the fighting: the Ethiopians are tough fighters,” Obama said, adding: “We’ve got more work to do. We have to now keep the pressure on.”
After talks on Monday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, whose ruling party won 100 percent of seats in parliament two months ago, Obama gave the blunt message that Ethiopia — while credited with strong economic growth — needed to improve basic rights.
Activists have complained that Obama’s visit to Addis Ababa could add credibility to a government they accuse of suppressing democratic rights — including the jailing of journalists and critics — with anti-terror legislation.
Obama addressed those concerns, saying “there is still more work to do”.
“There are certain principles we think have to be upheld,” Obama added.
“Nobody questions our need to engage with large countries where we may have differences on these issues. We don’t advance or improve these issues by staying away,” he said.
