Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: “East Africa & The Horn: At A Turning Point or Breaking Point?”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently convened a hearing to examine the escalating instability and strategic challenges in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. The session featured testimony from two expert witnesses: Mr. Joshua Meservey, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Ms. Michelle Gavin, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
In his opening remarks, Chairman Jim Risch underscored the region’s strategic importance to U.S. national security and economic interests. “All of us here know that the United States has clear national security and economic interests in the East and Horn of Africa region,” Risch stated. He highlighted the region’s proximity to critical maritime trade routes, including the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and the presence of a major U.S. military installation in Djibouti.
Chairman Risch also emphasized the United States’ active counterterrorism partnerships in the region, particularly in Somalia and Kenya. However, he warned that recent violent conflicts in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia have destabilized the region, creating opportunities for terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab, ISIS, and the Houthis. These conditions, he cautioned, not only threaten local populations but also undermine U.S. security interests while providing a foothold for adversarial actors like China, Iran, and Russia.
The hearing explored policy options for mitigating these threats, supporting democratic governance, and advancing stability in one of the world’s most volatile and strategically significant regions.
Statement of Concern Regarding the Arrest of Ethiopian Medical Professionals and Political Prisoners
We have learned with deep concern that the regime police in Ethiopia have jailed Healthcare workers. This action represents yet another attempt to silence peaceful opposition and suppress the free flow of information, including the rights of the media to report and inform the public.
The Ethiopian American civic organizations are profoundly disappointed by these continued violations of human rights. The government’s actions reflect a disturbing pattern of repression against individuals who are merely exercising their legitimate and constitutionally protected rights.
We strongly condemn the arrest and call for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained Ethiopian Healthcare Workers. Furthermore, we urge the international community—particularly those who stand for peace, justice, and human rights—to intervene and press for the release of all political prisoners, including Tadios Tantu, Christian Tadele, Yohannes Buayalew, and detained journalists.
We stand in solidarity with those striving for a democratic and just Ethiopia and will continue to speak out against injustice in all its forms.
In its 2025 report, Human Rights Watch stated that “authorities harassed, surveilled, and detained journalists, human rights defenders, and outspoken figures, creating an increasingly hostile and restrictive reporting environment.” The organization noted that impunity for human rights abuses remained widespread, and while the Ethiopian government introduced a transitional justice policy, efforts toward accountability for both past and ongoing abuses were inadequate, lacking transparency and independent oversight.
Despite these concerns, Ethiopia’s international partners continued to normalize their relations with the government, showing little regard for the persistent human rights violations.
U.S. Policy Toward Ethiopia: A Call for Urgent Reassessment and Action
U.S. policies toward Ethiopia have been shaped by a fundamental misunderstanding of the realities on the ground, a well-meaning but misdirected effort to de-escalate conflict, and a troubling disregard for the immense suffering that American inaction—or poorly calibrated action—can inflict on millions of innocent people.
The ongoing atrocities against the Amhara community, with the complicity or direct involvement of the Abiy Ahmed regime, demand urgent moral clarity. The White House and State Department must unequivocally condemn these barbaric acts and take immediate steps to alleviate the crisis.
Among the most effective measures would be the imposition of targeted sanctions on Ethiopian government officials who are either responsible for human rights abuses or who have failed to fulfill their duty to protect innocent Amhara civilians. The message must be clear: impunity for mass atrocities is unacceptable.
While the situation in Ethiopia is complex, the core problem is straightforward: a corrupt, authoritarian regime is allowing the nation to slide into civil war and lawlessness. The risks of delayed action are dire. If the U.S. waits until famine spreads, until terrorist groups carve out safe havens, and until Ethiopia collapses into total chaos, the opportunity to influence events positively may be lost.
Now is the time for Congress to act. A congressional hearing on the crisis in Ethiopia is urgently needed to assess the current situation, evaluate U.S. policy, and identify concrete steps the U.S. government can take to support peace, protect civilians, and promote accountability.
Despite the severity of the crisis, Ethiopia has not received the attention it deserves. This is a strategic oversight. Ethiopia plays a vital role in East Africa’s regional stability. Its security is essential to containing violent extremism, safeguarding Red Sea trade routes, and countering growing Chinese and Russian influence in the Horn of Africa. U.S. interests—moral, humanitarian, and geopolitical—demand more serious engagement.

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.