The United States’ Embassy in Addis Ababa announced on Monday that Ervin Massinga, United States Ambassador to Ethiopia, met with Ethiopian Defense Force Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The discussion covered partnerships between the two countries, the internal security crisis in Ethiopia, and the importance of the political process in addressing internal security challenges.

The embassy tweeted:

“Today, United States Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga and Ethiopian National Defense Force Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula discussed how to strengthen their continued partnership and the importance of political processes and dialogue to address Ethiopia’s internal security challenges.”

Abiy Ahmed’s administration has been waging a devastating war in the Amhara region for over five months now. His government started the war in the region soon after ending a devastating two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which claimed an estimated one million lives in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. The conflict in the Amhara region has seen the extensive use of drone strikes and heavy artillery, as reported by local sources and confirmed by various human rights organizations, including government-funded ones.

Externally, Ethiopia’s relations with its neighbors are becoming increasingly fragile after Abiy Ahmed’s claim over the Red Sea by any means, which has raised concerns among states like Eritrea and Somalia. There is speculation that Abiy Ahmed’s government may have been emboldened by covert encouragement from countries like the United States, given the regime change agenda in Eritrea.