Washington, DC – During the transition to a new presidential administration in Washington, Ethiopian-Americans must ensure that their advocacy for human rights and democracy is non-partisan. The right to live under the rule of law, to enjoy peace and prosperity, is fundamental and should not be the subject of partisan controversy. Politics are fluid; any party that is in power today will be out of power at some point in the future. Maintaining good relations with both parties and avoiding burning bridges is essential.
Mesfin Mekonen and Bart Fisher recently met with Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and members of his staff. We requested his assistance in organizing a hearing on the crisis in Ethiopia and discussed the deteriorating human rights situation. We asked the US Senate to review its policy towards Ethiopia, especially in light of government drone attacks on peaceful Amhara civilians.
Senator Coons and his staff are aware of the situation in Ethiopia and are following the situation closely. At a recent hearing, he asked Secretary of State Blinken about the situation in the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia.
Mesfin Mekonen presented a memo to the Senator that outlines the causes and impacts of the crisis in Ethiopia and points out that political stability and economic prosperity in Ethiopia are critically important to the United States as instability in Africa’s second-most populous nation threatens to destabilize the Horn of Africa. While crises in the Middle East, Ukraine, and elsewhere dominate the attention of the State Department and the national security community, ignoring the looming catastrophe in Ethiopia is a mistake.
We reiterated our suggestion that the US government undertake a three-part strategy focused on cessation of hostilities, sanctions, and Constitutional reform.
Ethiopia’s fate is ultimately in the hands of Ethiopians. There are ways, however, that the United States can help avoid disaster in a strategically important nation.
First, the United States can and must play a significant role in promoting a settlement of this ever-escalating war against the Amhara and other ethnic groups by the government of Ethiopia. At a minimum, the United States can promote collective efforts of local, regional, and global actors to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and attacks by the government of Ethiopia against its own people. Lasting peace in Ethiopia requires an urgent and inclusive dialogue and reconciliation.
Second, the White House and State Department should condemn the abuses the Abiy government is undertaking and condoning, and take steps to improve the situation. These steps include imposing targeted sanctions on government officials who are responsible for abuses or who fail to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
Third, the US government should promote the drafting of a new constitution, an essential precondition to lasting peace and prosperity.
US policies toward Ethiopia stem from a misunderstanding of the situation on the ground in Ethiopia, an honorable but misguided effort to calm a conflict, and a disregard for the suffering American actions could impose on millions of people who have played no role in that conflict.
The White House and State Department should condemn this barbaric act on Amhara’s Ethiopian community that the Abiy regime is undertaking condoning and take steps to alleviate the situation.
These steps include the imposition of targeted sanctions on the government officials who are responsible for abuses or who fail to protect the lives of innocent Amhara civilians
The situation in Ethiopia is complex, but the problems that must be resolved are straightforward: a corrupt authoritarian government is standing by while the country descends into civil war and lawlessness. There is a real danger that the US will wait too long to act in Ethiopia. After the country has descended into chaos, after there is famine, after terrorists have established safe havens, it will be extremely difficult to create positive change. Because there are opportunities to prevent these things from happening, it is time for Congress to hold a hearing about the problems facing Ethiopia.
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.
