AEPAC Statement on Recent Developments in Ethiopia

October 24, 2022

From AEPAC’s Executive Chairman Mesfin Tegenu on recent developments in Ethiopia

Events on the ground in Ethiopia are moving fast. The Ethiopian Federal Forces seem to have made positive progress in pushing back the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and defending towns and villages in Afar and Amhara from their renewed attack.

We have long argued that the TPLF’s aggression remains the barrier to peace and ensuring access to humanitarian aid. The Ethiopian Government and the country’s forces have a responsibility to restore stability and protect all citizens living within its borders. We, therefore, welcome the Ethiopian Government’s efforts to secure infrastructure sites critical to the movement of humanitarian aid such as airports and major highways.

This war, which has brought tragedy on communities across the Northern regions of Tigray, Afar and Amhara, was initiated and prolonged by the TPLF. The insurgency’s leadership is an authoritarian and corrupt regime that ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist for 27-years and is terrorizing citizens in Tigray today. There have been verified reports of forced conscription – including of children, looting of food aid, mass killings in Afar and Amhara, and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

As the Ethiopian Forces move to secure critical infrastructure sites in Tigray, the government has committed to restoring aid for the liberated areas and vital services to the region. This commitment is welcome.

The United States and the wider international community should equally welcome this commitment and support the Ethiopian Government in its aid efforts.

“The sooner peace is secured; the sooner Ethiopians can rebuild their lives.