Washington, DC – The United States and the international community cannot continue to overlook the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation and the tragic, deadly attacks on civilians in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian American civic organizations strongly condemn the Abiy government’s barbaric drone attacks carried out during the Easter (Fasika) holiday. According to news reports, these attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people.
The ongoing conflict has triggered a devastating, man-made famine. The World Food Programme estimates that over a million Ethiopians are in dire need of food assistance.
Once the immediate violence has been addressed, Ethiopia must take urgent steps to prevent future conflicts. Sustainable peace and stability require abandoning divisive ethnic politics and launching a national initiative to revise the Ethiopian constitution. The current constitution, intentionally designed to amplify ethnic divisions, poses an existential threat to Ethiopia’s unity and stability.
As previously reported by Washington Update, fundamental constitutional reform is essential for lasting peace and prosperity in Ethiopia. The United States and the broader global community must actively support the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and democratic governance in Ethiopia. The Trump administration’s failure to condemn ongoing human rights abuses by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s authoritarian regime has emboldened it to continue its brutal campaign against the Amhara people, exacerbating suffering and risking further destabilization across the Horn of Africa.
Urgent Call to Ethiopian Americans
Now more than ever, Americans who care about democracy and human rights in Ethiopia can take impactful action by urging Congress to stand with those fighting for freedom.
The Ethiopian-American community has a proven track record of effective advocacy. In both 2007 and 2018, Ethiopian-American mobilization led the U.S. House of Representatives to unanimously pass legislation supporting human rights, democracy, and economic opportunity in Ethiopia.
Today, as policymakers in Washington grow increasingly concerned about Ethiopia’s deteriorating human rights situation, it is crucial for Ethiopian-Americans to raise their voices once again. Contact your members of Congress, especially those on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees, and urge them to hold a hearing on the crisis in Ethiopia.
Make sure your voice is heard: call and write your Senators today and demand action.
Mesfin Mekonen
Mesfin Mekonen is the author of Washington Update, a bulletin about Ethiopia’s struggle for freedom and prosperity, and founder of MM Management.
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