Ethiopia Needs Peace, Accountability, and National Unity—not Political Slogans
WASHINGTON – In response to the statement, “CLEAR MESSAGE TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS: ETHIOPIA SEEKS PEACE, BUT WILL NEVER SURRENDER ITS SOVEREIGNTY!”
One does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand what is happening on the ground in Ethiopia. The deteriorating human-rights and humanitarian situation has been reported by international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Times, and Reuters, as well as by human-rights organizations and our own Washington Update.
Instead of dismissing legitimate concerns or portraying every criticism as an attack on Ethiopia’s sovereignty, government supporters should take an honest look at the realities facing millions of Ethiopians. Defending Ethiopia’s sovereignty and demanding accountability from its government are not contradictory positions. Both are essential to protecting the country’s national interests and its people.
We Ethiopians, both at home and in the diaspora, care deeply about our country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, and long-term stability. We strongly oppose any foreign power seeking to invade Ethiopia, undermine its independence, or exploit its internal divisions. However, patriotism should not be used as a shield to silence criticism of government policies or to dismiss the suffering of innocent civilians.
True patriotism means defending the rights, dignity, and lives of Ethiopian citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or place of residence.
The question is not simply whether Ethiopia will surrender its sovereignty. The more urgent question is whether the Ethiopian government is fulfilling its fundamental responsibility to protect its own citizens.
The Government Must Protect Civilians and Address the Humanitarian Crisis
Ethiopian Americans have been urging members of the United States Congress and the U.S. Administration to pay urgent attention to the continuing human-rights and civilian-protection crisis in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region.
In messages to U.S. lawmakers, Ethiopian Americans have called for meaningful congressional engagement, an independent and impartial investigation into reported atrocities, stronger protection for civilians and religious communities, humanitarian assistance for displaced families, and accountability for individuals responsible for serious human-rights violations.
These appeals are not intended to undermine Ethiopia’s sovereignty. They are intended to encourage the protection of innocent people and promote accountability for abuses.
The concerns are particularly serious amid reports of civilian killings, abductions, forced displacement, destruction of homes and property, and attacks on religious institutions.
According to the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), its 158th Special Report documented the deaths of at least 432 civilians and four local militia members in armed attacks across East Arsi during the period covered by its investigation. The report identified casualties in several districts, including Merti, Shirka, Jeju, Robe, Guna, Honqolo Wabe, Munisa, Aseko, and Arsi Sire.
These figures demand serious attention. Every civilian life matters, and every family deserves to know what happened to its loved ones.
The Ethiopian government has a fundamental responsibility to protect its citizens from armed groups, terrorism, and other threats to their security. However, when civilians continue to suffer killings, abductions, displacement, and destruction of property, the government must answer difficult questions about the effectiveness of its security policies and its ability to protect the population.
The government cannot simply blame armed groups and assume that its responsibilities end there. Nor should it expect the international community to remain silent when credible reports raise serious concerns about civilian protection.
Protecting civilians is not a concession to foreign governments. It is an obligation of any government that claims to represent its people.
Civilian Casualties in Amhara Must Also Be Addressed
The crisis is not limited to Oromia. Reports of heavy fighting, drone strikes, and military operations in the Amhara Region have also raised serious concerns about civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Reports published by international and Ethiopian media outlets, including Ethiopia Observer, have described deadly clashes and civilian injuries in areas affected by the conflict.
Every allegation of unlawful attacks against civilians must be investigated impartially, regardless of which party is responsible.
The Ethiopian government must ensure that its military operations comply with international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. Armed groups must also be held accountable for violations they commit.
No government should treat the deaths of innocent civilians as an acceptable cost of maintaining power. Military operations must not become a substitute for a political strategy capable of ending the conflict.
The continued fighting in Amhara and Oromia demonstrates that Ethiopia’s security challenges cannot be resolved through military force alone. Without political dialogue, inclusive governance, and accountability, the country risks perpetuating a cycle of violence that will leave another generation traumatized and displaced.
Ethiopia Must Be Transparent About Its Relations with Sudan and Other Neighbors
There are also troubling regional developments that deserve careful scrutiny.
Reuters has reported on allegations concerning Ethiopia’s possible involvement in the Sudan conflict, including claims by Sudanese authorities regarding drone attacks and the alleged use of Ethiopian territory in military operations.
Such allegations are serious and should be assessed on the basis of credible evidence and independent verification. They should not be treated as established facts without sufficient corroboration.
Nevertheless, if evidence establishes that Ethiopian territory or facilities have been used to facilitate military operations in Sudan, the matter would raise significant questions about Ethiopia’s foreign policy, regional security, and obligations toward its neighbors.
Ethiopia is already facing severe internal political and security challenges. Becoming further entangled in a neighboring country’s devastating conflict would risk worsening regional instability and placing additional burdens on the Ethiopian people.
The government should therefore provide appropriate transparency concerning these allegations and clarify its role in the Sudan conflict.
Before accusing other countries of threatening Ethiopia’s sovereignty, the government must demonstrate that its own policies are strengthening peace, stability, and respect for the sovereignty of neighboring states.
Ethiopia has a long and important history in the Horn of Africa. Its national interests are best served by constructive relations with its neighbors, respect for international law, and a foreign policy that prioritizes regional peace.
The Ethiopian people do not need another regional conflict. They need peace, economic opportunity, security, and a government focused on resolving the country’s internal crises.
Ethiopia’s Political Crisis Requires Fundamental Constitutional Reform
Another important issue that cannot be ignored is the constitutional framework established in 1994.
Ethiopia’s ethnic-based federal system, established under the 1995 Constitution, has been the subject of intense debate. Supporters argue that it recognizes the rights and identities of the country’s diverse nations and nationalities. Critics contend that its emphasis on ethnic identity and territorial organization has contributed to political polarization, competing nationalisms, territorial disputes, and intercommunal conflict.
In my view, the current constitutional framework has failed to establish a sufficiently strong and inclusive foundation for lasting national unity. The government continues to operate within a political system that many Ethiopians believe has deepened divisions rather than creating a shared sense of citizenship and belonging.
It is important, however, to recognize that Ethiopia’s conflicts have multiple causes, including historical grievances, political exclusion, competition over land and resources, weak institutions, security failures, and the actions of political and armed actors. The constitution alone does not explain every conflict.
Nevertheless, the constitutional question cannot be avoided.
How can Ethiopia build lasting peace if its citizens disagree fundamentally about the political system under which they are governed?
How can the country establish national unity when communities fear political domination, territorial insecurity, or the loss of their rights?
And how can Ethiopia achieve democratic stability when constitutional disputes cannot be resolved through an inclusive and credible political process?
These questions require serious national attention.
Ethiopia needs a constitutional reform process that brings together all its communities and political stakeholders. Such a process should examine how to protect individual rights, preserve cultural and linguistic freedoms, strengthen national citizenship, ensure fair political representation, and resolve disputes peacefully.
Constitutional reform should not be imposed by one political party or designed to benefit one ethnic group. It should emerge from an inclusive, transparent, and genuinely representative national process.
The objective should be a political system in which every Ethiopian feels that the country belongs to them equally, regardless of ethnicity, religion, language, or political affiliation.
Sovereignty Must Begin with the Protection of Ethiopian Citizens
The government’s declaration that Ethiopia seeks peace and will never surrender its sovereignty may sound patriotic. But patriotic language alone cannot resolve the country’s deepening crises.
Sovereignty is not merely a question of borders, military strength, or resistance to foreign pressure. It is also about the ability of a state to protect its population, maintain security, uphold the rule of law, and provide the conditions necessary for its citizens to live in peace and dignity.
A government that demands respect from the international community must also demonstrate respect for the rights of its own people.
A government that calls for peace abroad must pursue peace at home.
And a government that invokes national unity must work to overcome the political divisions that threaten to tear the country apart.
Ethiopia needs independent institutions, judicial accountability, credible elections, freedom of expression, religious freedom, and a political system in which citizens can peacefully challenge government policies without fear of persecution.
It also needs a credible process of national dialogue that includes communities and political groups that have been excluded or marginalized.
Without these foundations, declarations of sovereignty risk becoming political slogans rather than a meaningful commitment to national stability.
Ethiopian Americans Have a Responsibility to Speak Out
Ethiopian Americans are not enemies of Ethiopia because they call attention to human-rights violations or urge the U.S. government and Congress to take an interest in the country’s worsening humanitarian situation.
They are exercising their democratic rights and seeking to use peaceful advocacy to encourage accountability and protect innocent people.
Many Ethiopian Americans have family members in Ethiopia. They remain deeply connected to their communities, their cultural heritage, and their country’s future. They want Ethiopia to be peaceful, independent, democratic, and economically prosperous.
Their concerns should not be dismissed as foreign interference simply because they engage with American lawmakers.
Advocacy for human rights, civilian protection, religious freedom, and democratic reform is not an act of disloyalty to Ethiopia. It is a legitimate effort to encourage policies that can help prevent further suffering.
Our message to members of Congress and the U.S. Administration is straightforward: pay attention to credible reports of human-rights violations, support independent investigations, encourage humanitarian assistance, and promote a peaceful and inclusive political process.
These efforts should be guided by evidence, fairness, and respect for Ethiopia’s sovereignty and the rights of its people.
Conclusion: Ethiopia Needs Peace, Accountability, and National Reconciliation
Ethiopia stands at a critical crossroads. Continuing armed conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, political polarization, and regional tensions threaten the country’s future.
The solution is not to dismiss criticism, blame foreign governments for every problem, or rely exclusively on military force. Nor is it to assume that Ethiopia’s problems can be solved through external pressure alone.
The solution requires responsible leadership, an end to abuses against civilians, meaningful dialogue, institutional reform, and a political system that protects the rights of all Ethiopians.
Ethiopia does not need another generation defined by war, political exclusion, ethnic division, displacement, and fear. It needs leaders who understand that national unity cannot be sustained through force or rhetoric alone.
It needs institutions that protect citizens, a justice system that holds perpetrators accountable, and a constitutional framework that provides a peaceful way to resolve political disagreements.
Above all, Ethiopia needs a national vision that places the welfare of its people above the interests of any political party, ethnic group, or individual leader.
Let us be clear: defending Ethiopia’s sovereignty does not mean defending every action of the Ethiopian government. Loving Ethiopia does not require us to remain silent when innocent people are killed, displaced, or denied their fundamental rights.
True patriotism means standing up for Ethiopia’s people, protecting the country’s independence, promoting peaceful relations with its neighbors, and working toward a future in which every Ethiopian can live with dignity, security, and equal rights.
Ethiopia’s sovereignty must be defended, but so must the lives and rights of its citizens. Its peace must be pursued, but so must accountability. And its national unity must be built not on fear and division, but on justice, mutual respect, democratic institutions, and a shared commitment to a peaceful future.
That is the Ethiopia we should all be working to build.
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.
- Mesfin Mekonen#molongui-disabled-link
- Mesfin Mekonen#molongui-disabled-link
- Mesfin Mekonen#molongui-disabled-link
- Mesfin Mekonen#molongui-disabled-link
