Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAE) issued a statement on Thursday in response to the US “Policy Speech” on human rights and national dialogue in Ethiopia. The speech was delivered by US Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga at a historic event held at the American Gibbia locality in Addis Ababa, a site with significant diplomatic importance as the former location of the US legation and currently home to the Yemeni Community School.
The MFAE view the policy speech as an “advice to the Government of Ethiopia on how best to run the affairs of the country and mention groups bent on overthrowing the elected Government by force, and known for blackmailing, kidnapping, and terrorizing civilians.”
Furthermore, the Ministry stated that “the statement is ill-advised and contains uninformed assertions. It is contrary to the historic and friendly relations between Ethiopia and the United States.”
In his ten-minute policy address, the US Ambassador condemned human rights abuses perpetrated by various parties, but his criticism was particularly scathing towards the Ethiopian government, which has been implicated in numerous violations, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence in conflict zones, enforced disappearances, and a crackdown on political opponents and critics.
The Ambassador said, “to those whose responsibility is to govern the entire country, Ethiopia, … the country has far more to gain through peace than on the battlefield. A security focused approach will not resolve complex political issues. Detaining and harassing those who criticize the government will not resolve those issues that must be addressed. The Political dialogue that Ethiopians need could be helped by releasing key political figures.”
The policy statement also commented on the country’s political forces, commending the Oromo Liberation Army for their “genuine effort” in pursuing a negotiated settlement and encouraging them to continue their efforts towards dialogue. In contrast, the statement criticized the Fano forces, referred to by the Ambassador as “those who call themselves Fano,” for their “objections to dialogue.” A Fano representative from Gojam rejected the statement, arguing that Fano was not invited to participate in peaceful dialogue, and that the Prime Minister’s directive to work with Arega Kebede did not constitute a genuine invitation to negotiate. The Ambassador’s remarks about Fano have sparked widespread outrage among Ethiopians.
