Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), visited Ethiopia this week and held high-level talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to bolster regional security cooperation. The discussions centered on coordinated efforts to counter terrorism posed by extremist groups, including Al-Shabaab and ISIS, across the Horn of Africa.
The visit underscores a renewed commitment between the United States and Ethiopia to tackling regional instability and ensuring long-term peace. Both leaders acknowledged the persistent threats to civilians and state institutions in the region and explored strategies to enhance intelligence sharing, joint operations, and capacity-building initiatives for local forces.
General Langley’s trip to Addis Ababa followed a day after he participated in a U.S. delegation to Hargeisa, led by U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Richard Riley. The delegation also held talks with Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro to discuss security and development priorities. These engagements come as Somaliland prepares for a potential diplomatic visit to Addis Ababa and Washington, D.C.
This series of engagements signals an uptick in U.S. diplomatic and security outreach across the region, reinforcing a cooperative framework to counter terrorism and promote stability in one of Africa’s most strategically significant corridors.