[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6126-S6127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECENT EVENTS IN ETHIOPIA

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to bring the Senate's attention to 
the Ethiopian Government's brutal crackdown on protestors over the past 
9 months. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people have 
been killed by Ethiopian security forces in antigovernment 
demonstrations since November 2015, including over 100 gunned down in 
early August of this year alone.
  These protests by the country's two largest ethnic groups, the Oromos 
and Amharas, reflect enduring tensions brought on by the Ethiopian 
Government's longstanding marginalization and persecution of these 
communities. But such grievances are shared by even broader segments of 
Ethiopian society, including from other communities that have been 
forcibly evicted from their land in the name of development and the 
journalists, civil society activists, and countless other political 
prisoners sitting in Ethiopian jails for speaking out against the 
government's repressive rule.
  The international community, including the United States, has paid 
too little attention to the Ethiopian Government's repressive policies, 
focusing instead on the country's rapid development gains and the 
government's cooperation on regional security. But it is time for the 
Ethiopian Government to acknowledge that grievances stemming from 
marginalization, abuse, and

[[Page S6127]]

exclusive governance cannot be effectively addressed through the 
provision of basic services alone.
  The United States should set an example by redefining its 
relationship with Ethiopia, starting with the recognition of this 
reality. In too many developing countries, legitimate concerns about 
unaccountable governance are given short shrift as aspirational and 
inconvenient tradeoffs for positive relations with host governments. 
But the quiet diplomacy of the past--backroom condemnation and public 
praise--has proven unable to ensure the sustainability of U.S. 
investments by failing to protect and promote stability, let alone 
encourage meaningful reform by the Ethiopian Government.
  It is precisely because Ethiopia is a strategic partner of the U.S. 
that we should encourage remedies to the underlying tensions in the 
country. That does not mean we walk away from our partnership, but we 
should examine the type of assistance we provide to the Ethiopian 
Government to ensure it aligns with shared interests and activities 
that contribute to government capacity in a manner that addresses local 
concerns.
  This is not without its challenges, and the only government that has 
the ability to successfully reform Ethiopia is its own. Prime Minister 
Hailemariam Desalegn and the rest of the Ethiopian leadership should 
begin by reassessing its crowd control tactics and ensuring 
accountability for those who have committed abuses. I support the call 
by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for an 
independent, transparent, thorough, and effective investigation into 
violations of human rights committed during the unrest, and if the 
Ethiopian Government is interested in demonstrating its legitimacy, it 
would welcome such an inquiry.
  I look forward to working with other Members of Congress, the Obama 
administration, and their successors to determine how best we can 
ensure that the assistance U.S. taxpayers provide to Ethiopia serves 
our long-term interests in the region.

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