The fanfare around the high-profile visit to Addis Ababa does not hide that Ethiopia is grappling with severe internal turmoil under Abiy Ahmed’s rule. Armed insurgencies continue in Oromia and Amhara, and peace in Tigray remains fragile, with fears of renewed conflict. Human rights abuses and inter-communal violence persist, undermining stability and daily life far from diplomatic photo ops, and turning grand external engagements into distractions from pressing domestic crises.

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