U.S. Pronouncements on Ethiopia's Internal Affairs is Regrettable: Gov’t

Addis Ababa February 28/2021 (ENA) The Government of Ethiopia says an attempt by the United States to make pronouncements on its internal affairs and specifically, the reference to the Amhara regional forces redeployment is 'regrettable'.


It is to be recalled the U.S. State Department issued a press statement and called on  immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray are essential first steps. 

In its press release sent to ENA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said that it should be clear that such matters are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian government, which as a sovereign nation, is responsible to deploy the necessary security structures and means available in ensuring the rule of law within all corners of its borders.

“The Ethiopian government, like any government of a sovereign nation, has in place various organizing principles in its Federal and Regional structures which are solely accountable to the Ethiopian people only,” the statement added.

The current focus and priority of the Government of Ethiopia has been and still is to effectively respond to the humanitarian situation in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. In doing so, it continues to collaborate and coordinate its actions with international partners to reach out to every person in need, it said.

It should be noted that the Ethiopian government thus far is covering 70 percent of the assistance from its own resources, while the remaining 30 percent is shared by development partners and NGOs. So far, the ongoing relief efforts have reached out to more than three million people.

According to the press release, priority is being given to people in vulnerable situations, particularly women and children.

The statement further stated that “with the significant improvement on the security situation in the region, the government has now allowed unfettered access to humanitarian actors. It has also put in place an expedited clearance system to remove the bureaucratic hurdles in securing the necessary permits to operate in the region.”

Accordingly, the World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley has confirmed the important progress that has been made in the humanitarian response, while also underscoring the need to do more.

The international community needs to respond to his urgent appeal for more resources to scale up the ongoing relief operations, instead of continuously lamenting on the dire humanitarian situation in the region, the statement noted.

Therefore, the government has shown its determination to engage positively and constructively by responding to the two major asks by the international community.

This includes the unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and independent investigation into alleged human rights violations and crimes committed in the Tigray region, it said.

The Federal Government is mandated by the Constitution to ensure peace and security against any threats to the Constitutional order of the country, it was said.

The statement further stated that “It is in the spirit of this responsibility and holding a nation together from treasonous and divisive forces that the Federal government has been undertaking the rule of law operations in the north of the country.”

Ethiopia has an unwavering commitment to honoring its international responsibilities, in spite of the destabilizing nature of the challenges that ensued due to high treason of a criminal clique.

Nevertheless, honoring international obligations and responsibilities should not be deemed by any entity as an invitation to dictate a sovereign nation’s internal affairs, it said.