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ADDIS ABABA. — US President Barack Obama yesterday praised key African ally Ethiopia for its fight against al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, but also challenged Addis Ababa on its democratic record. Obama is on the first-ever trip by a US president to Ethiopia, a close strategic partner for Washington credited for beating back the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamists but a country also much criticised for its rights record.

“Part of the reasons we’ve seen this shrinkage of al-Shabaab in East Africa is that we’ve had our regional teams,” Obama said, referring to African Union and Somali government troops.

“We don’t need to send our own Marines in to do the fighting: the Ethiopians are tough fighters,” Obama said, adding: “We’ve got more work to do we have to now keep the pressure on.”

Al-Shabaab has in recent days lost two of its key strongholds following a major offensive by AU troops – with Ethiopian troops and their local allies credited with doing much of the fighting. While the United States does not have boots on the ground, it carries out frequent drone strikes against al-Shabaab leaders.

Speaking after talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, whose ruling party won 100 percent of seats in parliament two months ago, Obama gave the blunt message that the country – while credited with strong economic growth – needed to perform better on basic rights. — AFP.