As a time when the world’s attention is focused on the Middle East and the war in Ukraine, the world must not forget Ethiopia or avert its eyes from the ongoing genocide against its Amhara people. Ethiopia, a country of over 120 million people, is the key to stability in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopia is experiencing overlapping crises:
- An unresolved civil war
- Ethnic cleansing and ethnically motivated killings
- Desperate hunger and malnutrition
- Human rights abuses
- Crippling corruption
Armed conflict is causing famine, and the avarice of government officials is exacerbating the tragedy. While more than a million people in Ethiopia are in dire need of food, rampant government corruption led the United States and international donors to suspend aid. Assistance has been partially resumed, but conditions on the ground are impeding its delivery.
Ethiopian-American civic organizations are holding a constitutional conference and congressional briefing on Octobrr 23 at 9:00 a.m. at the U.S. Senate Russell Office Building, Kennedy Caucus Room to raise awareness of the crises, discuss the common causal factors, and propose solutions. The meeting is open to the press.
Speakers will present updates, discuss the Ethiopian Constitution and the Federal government structure, and draft a resolution with solutions that will provide the foundation for peace, stability, and economic development. Constitutional change, including the elimination of divide-and-rule provisions that have turned Ethiopians against each other, is an essential prerequisite to bringing democracy, peace, and prosperity to one of Africa’s largest countries.
Senators and their staff representatives from the African Union and State Department officials will be in attendance.
Conference participants include:
Ethiopiawinet
Ethiopian Survival Salvation Association (ESSA)
Horn of Africa Peace Development Center (HAPDC)
Ethiopian American Community (EAC)
Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC)
Ethiopian Dialogue Forum (EDF
Global Amhara Coalition (GAC)
Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians (GAR
All Ethiopians are invited to attend and participate. A registration link will be sent by mid-October