Democrats urge Rubio to act on Ethiopia
Democratic senators are urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene diplomatically to address the crisis in Ethiopia, warning that renewed fighting in Tigray and escalating tensions with Eritrea could spiral into a multi-front war destabilizing the region.
Key points
- Clashes in Tigray resumed in August, and in late September the Tigray People’s Liberation Front-led regional government launched an offensive after weeks of drone and artillery attacks from Ethiopia’s government.
- The Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on TPLF “hardliners” in June, but lifted its arms-export ban on Ethiopia in May and let the sanctions program targeting the conflict lapse in September.
- Rubio called for de-escalation during an October call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed; a State Department statement described “peace through dialogue” as “the only path toward sustainable security, economic growth, and prosperity.”.
They also called for halting new arms sales to Ethiopia, reinstating Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopians in the US, and surging food aid as the fighting worsens the impact of drought on a deeply food insecure population.
Additional details
- “US diplomatic engagement has lacked the urgency, visibility, and coordination commensurate with the threat of another devastating civil war in Ethiopia and regional conflict,” the senators wrote.
- They warned against putting Eritrea’s Port of Assab — which Ethiopia wants to control — on the negotiating table.
- Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, asked the State Department to back an immediate ceasefire and new mediation including groups left out of the 2022 Pretoria Agreement.
- The TPLF was fighting alongside other armed opposition groups, but the campaign stalled within days and federal forces retook most of Tigray.
- Eritrean forces reportedly crossed the border to support the TPLF, though the country denies it.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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