Just Foreign Policy

Now is a critical time: there is a window of opportunity during which the United States government can help avert human catastrophe. So far the Bush Administration has only turned a blind eye. Will Congress do the same?

The lack of democracy in Ethiopia became clear in the wake of the 2005 elections. The ruling coalition (EPRDF), led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, instituted a violent crackdown when peaceful demonstrations began in protest of alleged electoral fraud. Gross abuses of civil and human rights ensued, and continue to this day. Compounding this volatile and deteriorating situation is the reported withholding by the Ethiopian government of food aid and other basic humanitarian assistance from the civilian populace in the Ogaden region.

The United States government can help avert this human catastrophe. H.R. 2003, The Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007, was introduced this year in the House of Representatives to ensure that future U.S. military aid to Ethiopia is contingent upon Ethiopia's further democratization, accountability for human rights abusers, and justice for the wronged. (Exceptions are made for peacekeeping and counter-terrorism assistance.)

By supporting H.R. 2003, we can encourage a stable, secure and economically viable future for this jeopardized region. Below you can ask your Representative to support H.R. 2003 when it goes to the House floor on Tuesday, October 2nd: