The Honorable Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington D.C.
November 25, 2023
Dear Secretary Blinken:
We, the undersigned civic organizations of American Ethiopians, express, in the strongest terms, our outrage at the recent scandalous reference to the Ethiopian capital, in an official Tweet by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, using the controversial Finfiné, which is a name promoted by Oromo extremist groups.
At a time when the people of Ethiopia are fighting for true democracy that is not tainted by ethnic animosity, atrocity crimes or suppression of individual freedoms, the outrageous statement by the American Embassy is not only an insult to the pride and honor of the people, but also a clear violation of all known diplomatic decorum.
As is widely known, ethnic division and hatred have reached unprecedented alarming levels in the country, including ethnically-targeted demolition of Amahra homes in the capital. Indeed, the worsening of the overall situation has warranted the issuance of an alert and a call to action by the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide. Therefore, the statement by the US Embassy on such a sensitive issue as the nomenclature of Addis Ababa can only encourage inter-communal violence of unimaginable consequences.
Regrettably, this outrageous and insensitive action by the Embassy will further erode the confidence of the people of Ethiopia in the neutrality of the United States government as an honest broker in the handling of contentious issues, with ramifications that are likely to have dire implications for the stability of the nation, the region and beyond.
We, therefore, demand that the Embassy immediately retract its statement, unambiguously express its apology to the people of Ethiopia, and demonstrably refrain from making such irresponsible statements again in the future.
Sincerely,
SIGNATORY ORGANIZATIONS
CC
Honorable Michael McCaul
US House Foreign Affairs Committee
Honorable Ben Cardin
US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee
SIGNATORY ORGANIZATIONS
Abba Bahrey Forum
Adwa Great African Victory Association (AGAVA)
American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC)
Amhara Dimtse Serechit
Amhara Popular Front (APF) Worldwide Support Task Force in the Diaspora
Amhara Wellbeing and Development Association
Association of Concerned Ethio-Americans and Ethiopians in the Diaspora
Congress of Ethiopian Civic Organizations (CECO)
Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC)
Ethiopian American Development Council (EADC)
Ethiopian Public Diplomacy Network (EPDN)
etHub
Global Alliance for Justice – The Ethiopian Cause
Global Amhara Coalition (GAC)
Global Ethiopian Scholars Initiative (GESI)
Hope for Ethiopia (H4E) New York Tristate’
Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES)
Selassie Stand Up, Inc.
United Ethiopian Muslims Movement (UEMM)
Vision Ethiopia (VE)
Voice of the Victim’s Organization (VVO, የወልቃይት ጠገዴ፣ ጠለምት የልሣነ ግፉዓን ድርጅት)
Worldwide Ethiopian Civic Associations Network (WE-CAN)
*END*
Anthony Blinken does not deserve to sit on his current post as he is a cruel and racist person hellbent on destroying Ethiopia. There is no US interest to be served by destroying an African nation that served as a source of inspiration for millions of its citizens. If what he is executing is a State Department policy, then shame on the current democrat-led State Department!
Addis is not called Finfine by Oromos ‘extremists’ only. I call it Addis/Finfine the whole time. My Amhara longtime friends call it Finfine whenever we get together or talk to each other. From their childhood days till now they call Nazret as Adama, Debre as Bishoftu and Asbe as Ciro(Chiro). This is nonsense. Somebody here is scratching where it does Not itch.
I have a better job for these groups. How about working hard at bringing peace in Amhara and Oromia regions? The youth in these two regions is being hoodwinked by murderous connivers into marching to its deaths and destruction. It is being used as cannon fodder by bigoted extremists in both regions. Why don’t these groups show grits and expose those extremists and render them irrelevant?
Why the need for such numerous organizations? There are 22 groups in this letter alone! It shows without a doubt how the opposition is splintered beyond repair. It is utterly hapless!!!
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
This article’s title is deceptive, misleading, and might pose a major query.
The inherent representational bias exhibited by a few diaspora Amhara ethnic members, as seen in the above article, to deceitfully portray all ninety ethnic groups in the country is a source of confusion for many. All the above-listed 20 groups can be reduced to one ethnic group. These individuals boldly claim to speak for the entire ethnic group in Ethiopia, simply calling themselves Ethiopian associations, while displaying blatant contempt and scorn for the constitutional rights granted to other ethnic groups.
The title must be 20 fannatic fanno sponsors from Amhara ethinic groups write an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State