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Opinion The U.S. should hold Ethiopia accountable

The U.N. International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia’s annual report, released this month, about violations of international laws and war crimes committed by all belligerents during the recent civil war in Ethiopia, was truly sobering.

Despite the promises of a cessation-of-hostilities agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) late last year, peace and a return to normality elude the country because of the recalcitrance of the various warring sides. The continued presence of Eritrean forces, the ongoing occupation by Amhara forces of disputed land secured by forcibly removing ethnic Tigrayans, the TPLF clamping down on dissent and the diversion of humanitarian aid are some factors. After the collapse of the alliance of convenience between the central government and the Amhara irregulars, there are alarming developments that signal a wider conflict in the Amhara region, endangering civilians.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s regime does not seem interested in putting in place a credible and independent accountability system. The ICHREE report shows how the regime has obfuscated and delayed any meaningful progress. The regime continues to lobby for the termination of the mandate of the ICHREE. This should not be allowed. Congress, the White House and the State Department should strive to have the mandate and term of the ICHREE extended. Appropriate sanctions and pressures should be applied to the regime in Addis Ababa and all other actors to ensure accountability for the atrocities that occurred and continue to occur.

Daniel Woubishet, Silver Spring

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/26/america-hold-ethiopia-accountable/