U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos asserted that recent false and misleading reports have “mischaracterized” the image of American diplomacy in the Horn of Africa, as part of efforts to “court an anti-Ethiopian alliance,” adding that “that narrative is both inaccurate and needlessly inflammatory.”

Taking to X on Wednesday, he wrote, “The United States works with Ethiopia and all countries across the Horn of Africa and the wider Red Sea region to advance shared priorities.”

He added, “Engagement with one regional partner should not be distorted into hostility toward another. U.S. diplomacy is not about creating rival blocs or deepening divisions—it is about working constructively with all partners to prevent conflict and promote lasting peace and security.”

Nick Check, the senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, had previously stated, ““The United States is resetting its relationship with Africa based on mutually beneficial partnerships rather than aid, dependency, and spreading divisive ideology.”

He had added, “Rather than walking away, we’ve been heavily engaged on the continent. In fact, President Trump met with 13 African Heads of State in his first year in office… a record as far as the Africa Bureau can remember and a concrete sign of not just continued, but strengthened, engagement with the continent.” (EIR)