PM Abiy Ahmed visits eastern Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday morning travelled to the eastern Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State to inspect developmental projects the central government has embarked on since he came to power.

In a statement, the Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs said the Ethiopian leader was welcomed by the regional state’s President Mustefe Omer in a visit that would be the first of its kind since the outbreak of the conflict in 2020.

“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with a high-level delegation arrives in the capital of the Somali Regional State and received by the regional President Mustefe Omer,” the Ethiopian foreign ministry statement said.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Ahmed said he visited drought-affected areas in the region to review relief efforts being undertaken and vowed to provide basic services to the residents of the eastern Ethiopian state.

“We visited Kabribayah this morning, which is one of many host communities in the Somali Regional State supporting drought affected displaced persons,” Prime Minister Ahmed wrote in the tweet.

“In the interim, we will scale the provision of water trucks, food, and animal feed and essential medicines,” he added, vowing that he “will accelerate the small dams projects we have embarked upon to support water management in lowland areas, as a pathway to circumventing future droughts.”