Merkel visiting Ethiopia as state of emergency unfolds

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a press briefing with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, after her arrival at Bamako, Mali, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. Merkel is on a three day tour in Africa, visiting, Mali, Niger, and Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Baba Ahmed) (The Associated Press)

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FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 file photo, Ethiopian soldiers try to stop protesters in Bishoftu, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Ethiopia on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, where her meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is expected to focus on the country's newly declared state of emergency after months of protests demanding wider freedoms, and other issues including migration. (AP Photo, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 file photo, protesters chant slogans against the government during a march in Bishoftu, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Ethiopia on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, where her meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is expected to focus on the country's newly declared state of emergency after months of protests demanding wider freedoms, and other issues including migration. (AP Photo, File) (The Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Ethiopia and plans to meet with its prime minister on issues including the country's newly declared state of emergency.

This East African country, one of Africa's best-performing economies, declared its first state of emergency in a quarter-century Sunday, after months of protests demanding wider freedoms.

Merkel's African tour is meant to highlight the global migration crisis and security issues. Ethiopia is one of the world's largest hosts of refugees, with hundreds of thousands having fled from nearby Somalia, South Sudan and elsewhere.

But a German government spokeswoman says Merkel will also "of course clearly address human rights" in Ethiopia.

The deaths of more than 50 people in a protest-linked stampede last week led to a week of demonstrations.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/merkel-visiting-ethiopia-as-state-of-emergency-unfolds