US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Ethiopia to ensure accountability over the brutal Tigray conflict but voiced guarded optimism at preserving peace, on a trip that marked an easing of a wartime rift between the longtime allies.

On the latest trip by a senior US official to Africa as China and Russia makes inroads on the continent, Blinken offered $331 million in new humanitarian aid but stopped short of backing Ethiopia’s readmission to a major trade pact.

The top US diplomat said greater economic relations with Ethiopia depended on its commitment to both “reconciliation and accountability” over the war, which the United States estimates has cost about 500,000 lives.

“Getting to justice, bringing people together, that’s the way to make sure that peace lasts and that people can move on with their lives and the country can really move forward,” Blinken told reporters after a day of talks.