Ethiopia: The Biden administration must put its foot down
Posted: 26 May 2021, 17:08
https://www.theafricareport.com/91941/e ... foot-down/Wednesday, 26 May 2021 17:05
...Unfortunately, for all these efforts, little has changed and conflict rages on. The Ethiopian government continues to stubbornly pursue coercive solutions, despite clear evidence that they will not work. Now is the time for the US and its allies to act decisively to change the regime’s political calculus. The Biden administration’s recent announcement of visa bans on those perpetuating the suffering in Tigray is a good start, but more robust measures are needed.
The first order of business is to secure the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Ethiopia. President Biden must lead like-minded countries in seeking an international arms embargo on the Eritrean regime.
The Biden administration should also target Eritrean officials responsible for human rights violations with economic sanctions. Targeted economic sanctions must also be applied to those who conduct any business with the regime that facilitates the carnage in Tigray.
Similar measures must be taken against Ethiopian actors. The administration must vote to oppose assistance from the international financial institutions that would flow to the Ethiopian government.
Proposals for programmes that provide direct benefit to the population – areas such as health and education – should be exempt, but these institutions should not conduct business as usual while atrocities in Tigray and other regions of Ethiopia unfold.
We must also impose targeted economic sanctions on those committing, orchestrating, or failing to stop human rights abuses, including government officials, members of the TPLF, and other armed groups. In addition, an arms embargo on Ethiopia – despite the complications it may bring – should not be off the table.
Finally, the US must continue to partner with African leaders and work with multilateral institutions in the region and beyond to ensure credible, transparent accountability for human rights abuses. The AU and others should also play an important role in helping facilitate a national dialogue.
Bottom line
Ethiopia has long held a prominent and critical role in a region vital to US interests, and its government will no doubt object to these proposals. But as has become all too evident, failure to act will cost innocent lives, cause needless suffering, and damage our credibility as champions for human rights.
Our interests cannot be met through a partnership with a failed state. A fraught US-Ethiopia relationship is a far lower price to pay than that of state collapse. The prudent course is clear. In support of a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Ethiopia, America must show resolve.
