U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Michael Langley held high-level meetings this week in both Ethiopia and Somaliland, signaling renewed American engagement in the Horn of Africa amid growing regional security complexities.
In Addis Ababa, General Langley was received by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, the two discussed “bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest,” with a focus on stability in the Horn and ongoing counterterrorism cooperation.
The visit came shortly after Langley and U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Richard Riley led a U.S. delegation to Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa. There, the delegation met with President Abdirahman Irro and other senior officials to discuss shared security concerns, maritime cooperation, and defense initiatives. The group also visited Berbera, a strategic port city where the U.S. has shown growing interest in infrastructure with regional security implications.
In a statement, the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa confirmed that discussions throughout the visit focused on joint efforts to counter al-Shabaab and ISIS threats in the Horn of Africa.
Observers note that the U.S. military’s increased engagement in both Addis Ababa and Hargeisa may reflect a broader effort to counter the growing influence of other international actors—particularly Gulf and Asian powers—vying for strategic footholds along the Red Sea corridor.