[20200803]IF10185_埃塞俄比亚.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated August 3, 2020EthiopiaEthiopia is Africas oldest independent state and its second most populous country. It hosts the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and is the worlds largest troop contributor to U.N. peacekeeping operations, with forces deployed in U.N. missions in neighboring Sudan and South Sudan, and in Somalia as part of a multinational effort to counter the Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab. The United States has viewed Ethiopia as an important security partner in a volatile region. The bilateral relationship, which dates back over 100 years, has been strained at times by tensions over human rights and governance concerns. Anti-government protests, fueled by a violent crackdown on dissent, shook Ethiopia in 2016-2017. Pressure on the government led to a leadership change in 2018 that stirred optimism over the prospects for reforms. The transition underway is fragile, though, and increasingly under strain. When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018, he pledged to open Ethiopia politically and economically. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for pursuing peace with neighboring Eritrea, initiating reforms at home, and seeking