Recent news reports on Ethiopia paint a picture of a country that is being torn apart, suffering famine, and antagonizing the global community, all as a result of corrupt, incompetent governance.
The G7 nations expressed concern in a statement released on April 19 “regarding the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region of Somalia announced in January 2024.” The G7 said it encourages “both the Ethiopian and the Federal Government of Somalia to keep all channels of dialogue open to prevent further escalation, working with regional partners, in the framework of the African Union and through bilateral contacts, in accordance with international law and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN Charter.”
Associated Press reported on April 16 that a United Nations-backed gathering raised pledges of almost $630 million for Ethiopia’s humanitarian crisis “but fell short of the $1 billion sought to help feed and support millions of people facing conflict and climate change in Africa’s second most populous country.” The AP story alluded to the massive corruption that led the U.S. to pause humanitarian aid to Ethiopia last year and said that donors “called on the Ethiopian government to ensure aid is delivered without interference and reaches those in need.
World Jewish Relief said in a statement released on April 18 that it is “immensely troubled by ongoing famine and a rise in violence in Ethiopia, a country which has been devastated by recent civil wars, drought, and the climate crisis. More than 24.4 million people across Ethiopia are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, and over 4.4 million are internally displaced.” The statement describes the horrific armed conflict and ethnic violence in Ethiopia.
In a statement released on April 12, Amnesty International called for African and global human rights bodies to “urgently investigate killings of civilians by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Merawi town, Amhara region, after fighting with Fano militias on January 29, as war crimes of murder and extrajudicial executions.” Amnesty said, “Mass killings are becoming shockingly common in Ethiopia.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists recently reported on the plight of Genet Asmamaw, a reporter who was arrested in April 2022 last year in Addis Ababa. “She was charged with terrorism in June, alongside 50 co-defendants, three of whom were journalists. Genet, who could face the death penalty if convicted, joined a hunger strike in May to protest what detainees described as political persecution.”
IPI Global Observatory reported on April 2, 2024: An important step would be to create a greater link between transitional justice and other national initiatives, such as the National Dialogue. In a deeply polarized country, transitional justice could benefit from consensus-building through national dialogue, but the latter remains equally contested. Widespread skepticism toward the TJ process persists, with many viewing it as potentially manipulated by the government for political ends. Failure to engage with critical voices and address prevailing challenges could jeopardize the process, causing Ethiopia to miss a rare opportunity to move beyond its history of violence and authoritarianism.
On April 10, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement following the killing of Bate Urgessa, a leader of the Oromo Liberation Front, in Meki in Oromia. He said the killing was “shocking and upsetting,” and called for an international investigation. Cardin stated: “Extrajudicial killings, harassment, and political repression have, for far too long, been commonplace in Oromia. The Abiy regime has clamped down on political opposition, the media, and dissidents not only in Oromia but throughout Ethiopia, contributing to the country’s widespread insecurity and overall instability. It is past time for those responsible for the policy of repression and abuse to be exposed and held accountable for their actions.”
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.
