Kenya's president arrives in Ethiopia amid Tigray conflict

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Ethiopia on Sunday for what will mainly be security talks.

Kenyatta's visit to the capital Addis Ababa comes amid an escalation in a yearlong war in northern Ethiopia between the Ethiopian armed forces and forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

It also precedes the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal from Nov. 15-20.

"Secretary Blinken will begin his trip in Nairobi, where he will meet with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Raychelle Omamo, affirming our strategic partnership with Kenya," according to a press statement Thursday by US State Department spokesman Ned Price.

"The Secretary and representatives of the Kenyan government will discuss our shared interests as members of the UN Security Council, including addressing regional security issues such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan," it said.

There have been mounting pressure and calls by the US and UN for the warring parties to immediately and without precondition end the war and start a dialogue.

The war has been raging since November last year with no end in sight after TPLF forces attacked Ethiopia's federal army bases stationed across Tigray.

The UN and the African Union’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, have warned of a short window of opportunity for the cessation of hostilities and dialogue.

Upon his arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Kenyatta was welcomed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Sahle-Work Zewde.

"My dear Brother Uhuru Kenyatta, welcome to your second home, Ethiopia," Abiy said on Twitter.

Ethiopia and Kenya enjoy friendly relations and strong trade ties that were recently further cemented by the inauguration of the first phase of the multibillion dollar joint Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor infrastructure project aimed at linking Kenya with Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan via highways and railways with planned robust trade via Kenyan port.