Story highlights Haley arrived in Ethiopia Monday for talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and African Union officials

Haley will also travel to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (CNN) Warning that Africa's violence political chaos and humanitarian disasters could metastasize into larger security threats to the United States, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley began a diplomatic mission to help solve two of Africa's most brutal conflicts.

Haley arrived in Ethiopia Monday for talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and African Union officials. After the meetings, Haley said she hoped this was the beginning of "a stronger relationship" with the AU and Washington's partners in Africa.

"The United States very much sees Africa as a very important part of the world. We see great opportunities in Africa, we see challenges in Africa, but we want to support and help in those situations," she said. "Most importantly we want to see how we can partner together, whether that is through economic development, whether it is through strategic practices, whether it's through political solutions."

Haley will also travel to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in one of the first visits to the continent by a senior member of the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has said little about Africa since taking office but the killing of four US soldiers during an ambush by ISIS affiliated fighters in Niger earlier this month has focused attention on Washington's expanded military presence and counter-terrorism operations against militants in Africa.

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