Shaheen, Booker, Coons, Merkley, Van Hollen Demand State Department Action Amidst Escalating Conflict in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging diplomatic engagement to address the fighting between the Ethiopian military and armed groups as well as escalating tensions with Eritrea.

In the letter, the Democratic Senators on the Africa Subcommittee detail the events in Tigray between the Ethiopian government and the armed groups in the region, including a strike on U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance and deteriorating diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and its neighbors. The Senators states that these events could lead to a multi-front conflict that could destabilize the broader Horn of Africa, Red Sea, our partners in the Gulf and vital shipping lanes. In the letter, the Senators urgeSecretary Rubio to help protect Americans, ramp up diplomacy in the region to address political and territorial disputes, surge humanitarian assistance and discourage other actors from military intervention in the conflict.

"Hostilities between Ethiopia's federal government and opposition forces have shattered the fragile peace in Tigray established by the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended a devastating two-year war between the federal government and Tigrayan forces. That conflict resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths and approximately 120,000 victims of conflict-related sexual violence," wrote the Senators.

"The growing threat of long-range attacks against Ethiopian military targets and Ethiopian airstrikes in civilian areas could place Americans in the crossfire of an expanding conflict. We urge the Department to ensure that Americans in Ethiopia have the information and assistance necessary to reach safety," continued the Senators.

"The State Department should work with the Department of Homeland Security to urgently reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Ethiopian nationals residing in the United States. Renewed fighting raises serious concerns about the safety of returning Ethiopian nationals. Reinstating TPS would provide critical protection to eligible individuals already in the United States who cannot safely return home, consistent with the program's purpose of protecting foreign nationals from removal when extraordinary and temporary conditions make return unsafe," concluded the Senators.

Full text of the letter is available HERE and provided below.

Dear Secretary Rubio:

We write to urge sustained and coordinated diplomatic engagement to address fighting between armed groups and the Ethiopian military and escalating tensions with Eritrea. Hostilities between Ethiopia's federal government and opposition forces have shattered the fragile peace in Tigray established by the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended a devastating two-year war between the federal government and Tigrayan forces. That conflict resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths and approximately 120,000 victims of conflict-related sexual violence.

Since August, there have been clashes in Tigray, and the Ethiopian government has launched a series of drone strikes, including a September 20 strike that hit a Catholic Relief Services aid convoy carrying U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance. Ethiopia faces multiple, overlapping conflicts and the prospect of a new war between Ethiopia and Eritra appears high. Fighting between the Ethiopian military and Fano forces continues across Amhara, while an insurgency persists in parts of Oromia. Eritrean forces are reportedly present in Tigray, and Ethiopia and Eritrea have cut diplomatic ties. Ethiopia has also expelled an Egyptian diplomat amid accusations that Egypt is supporting the rebel alliance. Egypt has in turn responded by expelling a senior Ethiopian diplomat from Cairo. The war in neighboring Sudan presents an additional risk of regional escalation, with Ethiopia reportedly supporting the Rapid Support Forces and accusing the Sudanese Armed Forces of providing support to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The situation could lead to a multi-front conflict that would risk destabilizing Ethiopia the broader Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, our partners in the Gulf, and vital shipping lanes. The United States should bring new diplomatic energy and policy tools to bear before the conflict escalates further.

We respectfully ask that you:

• Assist Americans in need of emergency support. The growing threat of long-range attacks against Ethiopian military targets and Ethiopian airstrikes in civilian areas could place Americans in the crossfire of an expanding conflict. We urge the Department to ensure that Americans in Ethiopia have the information and assistance necessary to reach safety.
  
  
• Ramp up U.S. diplomacy to support an immediate ceasefire and renewed mediation. U.S. diplomatic engagement has lacked the urgency, visibility, and coordination commensurate with the threat of another devastating civil war in Ethiopia and regional conflict. The Pretoria Agreement, reached with significant diplomatic support from the United States, stopped the last war in Tigray. However, it failed to resolve many of the underlying political and territorial disputes and excluded key actors involved in both the previous and current conflicts, including the Fano and Oromo Liberation Army. The United States should urgently support a renewed political dialogue that brings all relevant actors to the table and reflects the changed circumstances of the current conflict. In particular, any discussion of a military acquisition of the Port of Assab should be off the table and we urge the State Department to avoid offering Port acquisition as a diplomatic tool during any negotiation. It should be made clear that any attempt by the Ethiopian government to forcibly access the Port of Assab will not be supported or accepted by the United States.
  
  
• Protect civilians and ensure humanitarian access. Use all available diplomatic and policy tools to press parties to protect civilians, end the use of drones and heavy weapons in civilian areas, protect farmland and harvests, maintain communications access, and safeguard civilian infrastructure that enables safe and unimpeded humanitarian assistance. Further, comprehensive and regular humanitarian assessments must be conducted and made public to understand the full extent of the need on the ground.
  
  
• Delay of arms sales to Ethiopia. In May, the Administration lifted its policy of denying arms exports to Ethiopia under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and in September allowed the Ethiopia-related sanctions regime to expire. The United States should not allow new arms sales to Ethiopia while hostilities continue.
  
  
• Prevent further regionalization of the conflict. Use U.S. diplomatic leverage with Eritrea, Egypt, Sudan, and other regional actors to discourage military intervention, the provision of weapons or other material support to armed groups, and other actions that could widen the conflict. The United States should make clear that Ethiopia should not be the arena for a regional proxy war and should work with regional partners to prevent further escalation across the Horn of Africa.
  
  
• Surge Humanitarian Assistance. El Niño is driving devastating droughts in East Africa. In Ethiopia, rainfall deficits this summer exceeded 50 percent of average, setting up poor harvests. Coupled with renewed fighting, mass displacement, and disruptions to humanitarian access, these conditions threaten to push vulnerable communities toward catastrophe. The Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response should urgently scale up emergency food assistance, nutrition interventions, and other lifesaving humanitarian support to avert the worst outcomes.
  
  
• Reinstate Temporary Protected Status. The State Department should work with the Department of Homeland Security to urgently reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Ethiopian nationals residing in the United States. Renewed fighting raises serious concerns about the safety of returning Ethiopian nationals. Reinstating TPS would provide critical protection to eligible individuals already in the United States who cannot safely return home, consistent with the program's purpose of protecting foreign nationals from removal when extraordinary and temporary conditions make return unsafe.
  
  

We look forward to your response.

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