Addis Ababa: Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in Addis Ababa ahead of the closing ceremony of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue conference, which is scheduled to conclude on Aug. 22.
Kenyatta was invited by the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission to attend the closing ceremony of the conference, which has been underway for more than a month.
The former Kenyan president has played a prominent role in recent regional peace efforts, including the peace agreement between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), alongside the African Union.
Kenyatta’s office said his latest visit to Ethiopia gives the national dialogue a broader regional significance and is intended to support efforts to strengthen peace, stability and cooperation across the Horn of Africa.
The National Dialogue process, however, has faced criticism over its ability to address some of Ethiopia’s most contentious political issues. One of the unresolved issues is the status of Addis Ababa, which has remained a source of political tension and has resurfaced in recent debates.
The dialogue was established to address longstanding political, social and institutional disputes in Ethiopia, but critics have questioned whether the process has sufficiently included all parties involved in the country’s ongoing conflicts.
