President Barack Obama urged Ethiopia's leaders on Monday to curb crackdowns on press freedom and political openness as he opened a trip that human rights groups say legitimizes an oppressive Government.
"When all voices are being heard, when people know they are being included in the political process, that makes a country more successful," Obama said during a joint news conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
Obama's trip marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Ethiopia, a fast-growing economy once defined by poverty and famine.
later on Monday, Obama was to convene a meeting with African leaders on the crisis in South Sudan. The world's newest nation has been gripped by violence as warring factions in the government fight for power.
"The conditions on the ground are getting much, much worse," Obama said.