U.S. Senate House
Committee on foreign relations
Dirken senate office building
Washington D.C 20510-6225
Upon reading the contents of HR2003, as Ethiopian-American citizen, I have a deep concern on the national interest of the U.S. and the people of Ethiopia. This bill has ignored the right of the indigenous people to exercise their local constitutional right to promote and establish a new born democracy in that country.
The bill is misrepresented and contradictory; and sponsored as one sided to attack the current Ethiopian government to gain voters’ support to the sponsor of this bill from opposition in Diaspora-including the Eritrean lobbyist in the NAACP.
Some disgruntled Ethiopian-opposition groups in Diaspora are ex-advisors, conspirators, collaborators and action takers during the communist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. These people are the most wanted in Ethiopia for treason, collaborating directly or indirectly to commit crimes. They should stand on trial for their past crime when Ethiopia lost over two million citizens including 60 ministers and generals of Emperor Haile Selassie without a judiciary system. During these people’s cooperation with the communist regime of Mengistu, I had a friend who got killed because he had American jeans on him. On a different occasion a friend was talking in English in front of a security guard who was not able to understand English, instead he shot him on the spot for being a suspect to the imperialist.
There is a huge gross human right violation against these people who are embedded in a free society in the west today. They know exactly what happened and they can’t go back to Ethiopia, unless another government is established which they can trust to waive their past crimes. Until then they will never be in peace. The dead spirits and souls will never stop to haunt them no matter how many HR2003 are passed. Anyone can ask a question what is the relevance to HR2003 in justifying the current human right violation in Ethiopia. The answer is if these groups are behind this bill which, I believe they are then, there is a gross misrepresentation since, it will be a one sided story. I suggest the best source and prudent action would be to find out from our diplomats in the country and compare it with the opposition Diaspora. After all, how can gross human rights violators with the communist regime back up a human right status?
Besides to the Ethiopian-opposition groups, the poorest nation Eritrea has poured in millions of dollars for lobbying to fanfare anti-Ethiopian peace, economic progress and a path to democracy as human right violation, injustice, freedom of the press time after time to make sure some one hears them. In May 1998 Eritrea has invaded Ethiopia for economic reasons on a cover of border issues. Eritrea was defeated.
Since then, the most important dream of the Eritrean regime is to destabilize Ethiopia by all means of use. Lobbying with Ethiopian oppositions in Diaspora pretending as concerned Ethiopians, since, any ordinary American citizen can not distinguish them from the real Ethiopians because of the same culture. Supporting and training terrorists, creating wars directly or indirectly against Ethiopia, and selling arms to such as Oromo liberation front, Ogaden liberation front and the Somalis. This is a known fact by congress and senators. At this point anyone may ask what has to do with Eritrea. The answer is “the nature of the bill and its reason.” How was this bill organized? Was it based on pros and cons in Diaspora or was it based on our mission through the US ambassador to Ethiopia? I will be proved correct if any one can do a background check on a relationship between the Eritreans and the opposition groups in Diaspora to find out how well these groups are established and connected.
Now, Eritrea has build up weapons, military personnel and probably a revised intelligence on the border of Ethiopia. Eritrea is ready to start a war. And yet HR2003 prohibits security assistance to Ethiopia opening a free way express for Eritrea. Precisely, this was the ultimate goal objective eritreans were expecting with the poorest nation’s money allocation can buy for lobbying. How about the Ethiopians who are denied security assistance should defend their country? Or do we leave them defenseless because of our HR2003? The bill does not balance.
In addition, the gross and horrific human rights violation in Eritrea is far extremely high comparing to Ethiopia. But the sponsor of this bill has not even mentioned a single point against Eritrea as a genuine human rights advocate. Are there two kinds of human rights in our globe? It is naïve to ignore the suffering and agonizing of Eritrean people on their horrific human right violations committed by their regime if we can be serious about human right issues as a leading nation.
HR2003 dictates: (sec. 5) “prohibits until the president makes specified congressional certifications: (1) security assistance to Ethiopia, with exceptions for peacekeeping, military education and training for civilian personnel, or counter-terrorism assistance; and (2) U.S entry of any Ethiopian official involved in giving orders to use lethal force against peaceful demonstrators or accused of gross human rights violations…..
The author of this bill is not only telling the Ethiopian officials can’t come to America. But as American citizen he is telling me it is ok to go as a peace keeper where my security is prohibited. To go and teach military education where security assistance to the country is not available. If I may ask anyone, how possible is to provide counter-terrorism assistance without security assistance in any given country and train civilian personnel? I am totally confused. This part of the bill might work for the congress man from NJ; yes, you would send peacekeeping personnel to a country where there is no established government or to a war zone and provide military education. Yes, you would train civilian personnel until they form their local government. Yes, you would assist them on counter-terrorism with security assistance.
But Ethiopia has an established government over thousand years who had fought Augustus Caesar, the Ottoman empire, the British during queen Victoria, the Italians in 1896 and 1935, the Egyptians for 15 times on different years, and last the Eritreans in 1998 to keep their independence with a strong army establishment. The bill is “unreasonable and “undermines” to show that as if Ethiopia has no government nor a military establishment or a need for transitional government like the one in Haiti through NDI and IRI to kick out John Aristide. And if that is the case it is a whole lot wrong calculation and I will oppose it highly.
Over all, the U.S government, from 1935 until the present time have consistently failed to see the true geopolitical value of Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s geographical position to the red sea and Middle East makes her a perfect country to negotiate. It will be in the best U.S. interest to stay in good relation with Ethiopia. Some may argue that with the independence of Eritrea, Ethiopia’s impact on the red sea is no longer significant. It should be a short-sighted view. The true picture is who ever control the heartlands, control the rim lands. And this saying is true when we see the assab port today, except that assab had some activities by the Americans who built a central command center and the largest air base in the horn of Africa.
The future of Ethiopia remains the most vital key country with its economic resources to global geopolitics and global economics route. We must be cautious not to interfere on a sovereign free country and integrity of the people for many thousand years, just incase any radical change happens to Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Yemen.
In conclusion therefore; the 110th congress should have sought the larger impact of HR2003 before approval. In addition, there had never been a case that Ethiopia was appreciated for its geopolitical value or its participation in global war on terror, even though her soldiers are killed by Eritrean weapons and dragged on Mogadishu streets.
Then, as Americans, do we leave our allies (Ethiopia) to die in vain?
Thank you.
Sincerely,