Washington Update
April 15, 2025
- Mesfin Mekonen was recently interviewed by the Zedu Show (https://youtu.be/6QSu_MZ7AVI?
si=dfVlCqv6eaTZQhVt). The interview covered current events in Ethiopia, and the history of the National Press Club. - Mesfin Mekonen wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in late February to urge him to take steps to avert civil war in Ethiopia. The letter sought the Secretary of State’s assistance in pressing Ethiopia to stop using drones to kill civilians in Ethiopia, described reports of atrocities committed by the Ethiopian government, and note that it is important to the region and to the U.S. for Ethiopia to be stable, secure and prosperous.
The letter stated: “The United States and the global community need to support fundamental human rights for the Amhara, the rule of law, and democracy. The failure of the administration to condemn crimes being committed on a daily basis by the autocratic regime of Abiy Ahmed encourages its continuing war on the Amhara people, creating needless suffering and the risk of violence that could destabilize the Horn of Africa.”
It called on the U.S. to play a significant role in promoting a settlement of the ever-escalating war against the Amhara by the government of Ethiopia, condemn the abuses the Abiy government is undertaking, and promote the drafting of a new constitution.
- On March 27. The State Department reported: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today. The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed the desire to strengthen the bilateral relationship around mutual priorities, including stability in the Horn of Africa. The Secretary reaffirmed U.S. support for a peaceful and prosperous Ethiopia.
- Amnesty International has called for Ethiopia’s federal government to immediately pause the Corridor Development Project (CDP), an urban development project across at least 58 cities, until a human rights impact assessment is conducted, those forcibly evicted are provided with effective remedy, and safeguards are implemented to ensure any evictions comply with international human rights
standards. Amnesty International’s statement is available at Ethiopia: Federal government must pause the corridor development project and end forced evictions. - The Ethiopian government has retained an influential lobbying firm, Patton Boggs, and is using it to try to influence Trump administration policy outside of normal diplomatic channels.
To counter the activities of mercenary lobbyists, Ethiopian Americans need to contact their members of Congress and tell them the truth about the situation Ethiopia. They need to tell them that the Abiy regime is killing civilians with drones, that eliminating humanitarian assistance from USAID is creating immense hardship and paving the way for Islamic terrorists to destabilize the Horn of Africa. Tell members of Congress that the Abiy government is censoring the media, jailing journalists, committing human rights abuses. The Abiy regime can spend millions of dollars on lobbyists, but they cannot hide the truth – if Ethiopian Americans speak up.
Letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio
To: U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio
From: Mesfin Mekonen, Chairman of Ethiopian American civic organizations
Date: February 23, 2025
Re: Averting civil war in Ethiopia
Dear Secretary Marco Rubio,
I am writing you on behalf of Ethiopian /American civic organizations and as constituents who have been pleased to support you in your past election campaigns. I was in your former senate office on Thursday, Dec., 19 to deliver a letter.
The Ethiopian-American community is deeply distressed at the deteriorating human rights situation in Ethiopia. In an alarming new development, the government of Ethiopia is using drones to hunt and kill innocent Amhara civilians
Secretary Rubio, we ask your to help to stop the use drone to kill civilians in Ethiopia. The United Nations Human Rights Office has cited the “devastating impact of drone strikes and other violence on the population in the Amhara region” that is being perpetrated by the Ethiopian National Défense Forces.
Reuters reported on February about an incident that occurred on February 19. in which an Isuzu truck that was transporting civilians from a baptism ceremony was struck by a military drone, resulting in the deaths of over 15 people and numerous injuries.
The political stability and economic prosperity of Ethiopia is critically important to the United States. Instability in Africa’s second-most populous nation threatens to destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.
While crises in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere are dominating the attention of the State Department and the national security community, ignoring the looming catastrophe in Ethiopia is a mistake.
Congress, the administration and the world need to hear from experts who understand what is happening on the ground in Ethiopia.
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. Corruption is so severe the international community cut off life-saving food assistance for months, and remains reluctant to meet the needs of desperate people. Economic mismanagement is pushing the nation to the brink of famine. And the government is fomenting deadly conflicts among ethnic groups that have lived in harmony for hundreds of years.
Senator Ben Cardin, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations statement on “The Abiy regime has clamped down on political opposition, the media, and dissidents not only in Oromia, but throughout Ethiopia, contributing to the country’s widespread insecurity and overall instability. It is past time for those responsible for the policy of repression and abuse to be exposed and held accountable for their actions.” and the Amnesty International report on Merawi killings should be independently investigate.
Residents told Amnesty International that on the eve of the annual feast of St. Mary, observed on 30 January, ENDF soldiers rounded up local men from their homes, shops and the streets and shot and killed scores. Four people who buried victims and one authoritative source provided consistent accounts of more than 50 people killed, though Amnesty International has not been able to independently verify exact numbers.
African and global human rights bodies must urgently investigate killings of civilians by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Merawi town, Amhara region, after fighting with Fano militias on 29 January, as war crimes of murder and extrajudicial executions, Amnesty International said today.
The United States and the global community need to support fundamental human rights for the Amhara, the rule of law, and democracy. The failure of the administration to condemn crimes being committed on a daily basis by the autocratic regime of Abiy Ahmed encourages its continuing war on the Amhara people, creating needless suffering and the risk of violence that could destabilize the Horn of Africa.
The U.S. government undertake a three-part strategy focused on cessation of hostilities, sanctions, and constitutional reform.
First, the United States can and must play a significant role in promoting a settlement of this ever-escalating war against the Amhara 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 ameliorate 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 civilians.
Third, the U.S. government should promote the drafting of a new constitution, an essential precondition to lasting peace and prosperity. Article 39 of the 1994 constitution of Ethiopia grants rights for any ethnic group to secede and form a nation. Thus, groups such as the Tigrayans and the Amhara currently have the constitutional right to secede, which of course sparks protracted civil war. The ability of the central government to govern is undermined when every ethnic group has the right to secede. The present constitution has exacerbated ethnic tensions. If not revised, it will lead to the destruction of Ethiopia.
Mesfin Mekonen, Chairman, Ethiopian/American civic organizations
