Obama met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in the Ethiopian capital on Monday, saying their two countries are "strong partners" on many issues.

　　However, he urged Ethiopia's government to allow journalists and opposition parties to operate more freely.  In a news conference Monday, Obama said he held "frank discussions" with the prime minister, and said creating space for journalists and opposition voices "will strengthen rather than inhibit" the ruling party's agenda.

　　Obama to Visit African Union Headquarters

　　Hailemariam said Ethiopia is committed to improving human rights and governance.

　　"Our commitment to democracy is real, not skin deep," he said.

　　Obama also focused on the civil war in South Sudan on Monday, meeting with leaders of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and the African Union  to discuss the crisis.

　　Before going into the meeting, the U.S. president said conditions in South Sudan are getting "much, much worse."  He said South Sudan's president and opposition leaders have been stubborn and are looking out for their own self-interests rather than the interest of their country.

　　A U.S. official told reporters after the meeting that the leaders discussed options for penalties against South Sudan if an August 17 deadline for a peace deal is not reached, including imposing sanctions and deploying a regional intervention force.

　　South Sudan was thrown into conflict more than a year-and-a-half ago when clashes broke out between forces loyal to the president and vice president.

　　Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit Ethiopia.  In line with Monday's bilateral talks, the White House announced the United States intends to provide at least $40 million in assistance related to countering violent extremism in East Africa on top of some $465 million in proposed funding for training, equipment, capacity building and countering violent extremist initiatives throughout Africa.

　　During Monday's news conference, Obama said Ethiopia has played a vital role in fighting the Somali militant group al-Shabab. He also praised Ethiopia's economic record, noting the country has lifted millions out of dire poverty.

　　Rights groups have called for Obama to demand reforms from Ethiopia, where the government controls 100 percent of the seats in parliament and keeps a tight leash on the media.

　　Before Ethiopia, Obama spent two days in his father's homeland of Kenya, where he was hailed as a native son.

　　In a speech before his departure Sunday, the president said Kenya is at a crossroads "filled with peril, but also with enormous promise."

　　In Nairobi, the president praised Kenya's achievements winning independence in 1963, among them ending one-party rule and overcoming the deadly tribal and ethnic violence that broke out in 2007 and plagued the country for several months.

　　"The people of Kenya chose not to be defined by the hatreds of the past," Obama said, "you chose a better history."