Pompeo arrives in Ethiopia to finish 3-nation Africa tour

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Ethiopia Tuesday on the final stop of his three-nation Africa tour that will precede a visit to the Middle East.

President Donald Trump's chief diplomat arrived in Addis Ababa on Monday night and is meeting with leaders to shore up regional security efforts against terrorism.

Ethiopia, a longtime U.S. ally and military partner in the fight against terrorism, has gone through multiple political reforms since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was elected in 2018.

Pompeo was scheduled to meet with Ahmed and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde in Addis Ababa Tuesday. He will also meet with the Ethiopian Inter-Religious Council, U.S. Embassy staff and the U.S. Mission to the African Union. He will conclude his meeting with a joint news conference with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew.

Ethiopia has counted on U.S. support for financial and military aid and fended off a coup attempt last summer. It will hold parliamentary elections in August that should be a referendum for Ahmed's reforms.

Before arriving in Ethiopia, Pompeo visited Senegal last weekend and Angola Monday. After leaving Ethiopia on Wednesday, the secretary of state will travel to Saudi Arabia and Oman to discuss bilateral issues including Iran and Yemen before returning to the United States.