Recently, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bipartisan bill HR6600 introduced by Representatives Tom Malinowski (DNJ) and Young Kim (R-CA) that requires the administration to exert sanctions against Ethiopia and cease investment supports in the country. Unfortunately, the stance of the bill lacks authenticity from the outset as it fails to understand the atrocities the terrorists TPLF has been creating on the peoples of Ethiopia.
The other thing that diminishes its significance is it goes in contrary to the current Ethio-America relations. Appropriately, as they have long standing bilateral relations, Ethiopia and America are currently working towards improving their relations. Rightly, the current situation between the two countries makes the bill irrelevant.
Actually, the bill does have an influence to detect the historic relations Ethiopia and America have established as it has been led by some individuals who are suspected to support the terrorist group like TPLF. Few individuals in the President Biden’s administration who do not want to see progressive bilateral relations of the two countries have been working to support this terrorist group. Moreover, the bill is utterly contradicting America’s interests as it enhances the terrorist’s atrocities. We believe America wants to see sustainable peace in Ethiopia and beyond.
Surely, it is not the interest of American people to hear or see the devastating consequences the terrorist TPLF brought on Ethiopians. Furthermore, the bill does not dare to make the terrorist group accountable for the atrocities, human rights abuses and incalculable destruction it created on the nation. It is crystal clear that the terrorist TPLF is responsible for all horrific abuses of basic human rights in Ethiopia. Disgracefully, the bill refuses to present the incalculable loss and sufferings Ethiopians incur
as a result of the evil deeds of the terrorist. It rather suggests measures like suspending of financial assistance to Ethiopia from international institutions. Justly, the biased stance of the bill has recently invited denounce from the American-
Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee who stated that it is extremely disappointing and sad to see this bill published by Representative Malinowski as it intends to harm people of Ethiopians.
The committee stated that as the federal government has determined and taken decisive measures like offering amnesty for TPLF leaders and facilitating a national dialogue to establish peace and stability across the nation, the representative ought to have introduced the bill that threatens the peace of the country.
Indeed, what was proper for the representative and the people of Ethiopia was encouraging the measures the Ethiopian government has been taking to restore peace. Unfortunately, the representative proposed the bill that can fuel tension and affect the Ethiopian economy besides it failure to reflect the realities on the ground through obscuring the crimes of the terrorist TPLF.
This certainly in turn affects the bilateral relations between the two countries. The massive destruction and inhumane deeds of the terrorist TPLF cannot be overlooked if justice is to be served and sustainable peace is to be ensured. All in all, the bill HR6600 lacks authenticity as it intends to give diplomatic cover for terrorist TPLF group through obscuring its grave crimes against humanity.
It is also irrelevant as it tries to go anti-Ethiopians’ interest. As usual, the Ethiopian government has recently taken strong measures like releasing prisoners and initiating national dialogue for the intended peace and stability, the bill is totally unacceptable in the midst of all these progresses.
The 13 February 2022
