Ethiopian American civic organizations are calling for urgent international action as Ethiopia’s human rights situation continues to deteriorate, citing deadly drone attacks and a looming famine.
Over the Easter (Fasika) holiday, drone strikes reportedly launched by the Ethiopian government killed more than 100 civilians, sparking outrage among human rights advocates. The attacks have further worsened the humanitarian crisis, with the World Food Programme warning that over a million Ethiopians are now in desperate need of food assistance.
Advocates stress that sustainable peace in Ethiopia hinges on dismantling divisive ethnic politics and undertaking fundamental constitutional reform. The country’s current constitution, they argue, deepens ethnic divisions and threatens national stability.
Ethiopian Americans are also pressing Congress to respond. Drawing on successful advocacy efforts in 2007 and 2018, civic leaders are urging the Ethiopian-American community to contact their representatives, particularly those on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees, to demand hearings on Ethiopia’s crisis.
Critics further argue that previous U.S. administrations’ muted responses have emboldened Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, worsening violence against the Amhara people and risking broader destabilization in the Horn of Africa.
The call to action emphasizes that safeguarding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Ethiopia must be a top priority for U.S. foreign policy.
