United States will not resume assistance to Ethiopia for most security programs – Africa – World

The State Department said on Friday that Washington decided not to lift the pause in assistance to Ethiopia for most programs in the security sector, days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the acts in Tigray as ethnic cleansing.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said that while the United States has decided to resume certain types of assistance, including that related to global health and food security, assistance for other programs and most programs in the sector security would remain on hold.

“Given the current environment in Ethiopia, we have decided not to lift the assistance hiatus for other programs, including most programs in the security sector,” Price said at a news conference.

Blinken has lobbied Ethiopia to end hostilities in Tigray and on Wednesday, testifying before Congress, said he wanted the Tigray forces of Eritrea and Amhara to be replaced by security forces “who will not abuse the human rights of the Tigray people will not compromise. ” acts of ethnic cleansing, which we have seen in West Tigray. “

Thousands of people have died, hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes and there are shortages of food, water and medicine in the region of more than 5 million people.

Blinken, in a call with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, discussed the importance of an international investigation into allegations of human rights abuses in the region, the State Department said on Friday.

He said that in the call, Blinken also called for “increased regional and international efforts to help resolve the humanitarian crisis, end atrocities and restore peace in Ethiopia.”

The UN said last week that Eritrean troops were operating in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and reports suggested they were responsible for the atrocities.

The State Department said last month that Washington will unlink its pause on some aid to Ethiopia from its policy on the gigantic Blue Nile hydroelectric dam that sparked a long-running dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

But he cautioned that the resumption of assistance would be evaluated based on a number of factors, including “whether each paused program is still appropriate and timely in light of events in Ethiopia that occurred after the hiatus began. “according to a State Department representative. .

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