Both sides discussed their desire to strengthen the bilateral relationship around mutual priorities, including regional peace, the Ethiopian News Agency reported.

Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s support for a peaceful and prosperous Addis Ababa.

The stability of the Horn of Africa is currently a matter of concern for the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the international community due to political tensions in South Sudan and the humanitarian crisis resulting from armed clashes in Sudan.

Recent changes by opposition figures in the governance of Upper Nile, stipulated in the 2018 peace agreements and decided by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, sparked an outbreak of violence in the city of Nasir, which triggered a wave of arrests.

In Sudan, clashes have continued since April 15th, 2023, due to conflicts amid a process of integration of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Vice President of the Sovereign Transitional Council (TSC), into the Armed Forces. and the head of the army and president of the CST, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who have been contending for control of the country since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Official figures confirm that more than 12 million people have been displaced, including 3.4 million who fled across Sudan’s borders and more than half of the country’s population is suffering from acute hunger.

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