Washington Update
By Mesfin Mekonen
The human rights crisis in Ethiopia continues to worsen at an alarming pace. Across multiple regions, innocent civilians are facing systematic violence, displacement, and persecution. Without strong, sustained, and coordinated international engagement, the suffering will only escalate. Now is the time for collective action, persistent advocacy, and meaningful global response.
Below is an urgent update and firsthand report from Oromia Region, Ethiopia, highlighting the gravity of the situation. A video link is also included for further documentation.
What You Can Do: Take Action Now
1. Organize Locally
Form or join a state-level advocacy group to coordinate outreach, education, and engagement efforts. Local organization strengthens our collective voice, builds momentum, and maximizes our impact.
2. Contact Your Senators and Representatives
Call, write, and request meetings with your Members of Congress. Direct communication from constituents remains one of the most powerful tools for influencing U.S. foreign policy.
When contacting your elected officials, please emphasize:
The rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in EthiopiaAtrocities committed against Amhara civilians and other vulnerable communitiesThe Ethiopian government’s systematic suppression of democracy, including unlawful killings, mass arrests, and imprisonment of political opponentsThe urgent need for international accountability, civilian protection, humanitarian access, and a negotiated political settlement
Washington Update
The Ongoing Ethnic Cleansing in Oromia and the Synod’s Complicit Silence
In the Oromia Region, East Arsi Zone, Shirka Woreda, Jawi Wache Kebele, on June 19, 2018 E.C. (Ethiopian Calendar), at approximately 10:00 a.m., a brutal attack was carried out by armed extremist groups. As a result:
21 Orthodox Christian civilians, primarily Amharas, were killedSeven (7) individuals sustained serious physical injuriesThe number of missing persons remains unknown, and the death toll may rise
Eyewitness accounts and local sources confirm that extremist armed groups are systematically targeting Orthodox Christians and Amharas, openly declaring their intention to eliminate them from the Arsi region—regardless of language, ethnicity, or religious identity.
These groups reportedly operate with the support and complicity of regional and local government structures and maintain direct links through Bale to extremist networks, including ISIS and Al-Shabaab in Somalia. As such, claims referring to the perpetrators as “unknown forces” or “unidentified armed groups” are misleading and unacceptable.
This campaign of terror represents a clear attempt to erase entire communities based on religious and ethnic identity.
Urgent Call to Action
We call upon all Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church followers, Ethiopians worldwide, human rights organizations, faith-based institutions, policymakers, and international partners:
Our people are being slaughtered solely because of their faith and identity. Entire communities are under siege, surrounded on all sides, and facing an existential threat. The severity of the atrocities already committed—and those that may yet follow—demands immediate global attention and decisive action.
Silence and inaction will only embolden the perpetrators.
Video Evidence from Oromia
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B2cx3WHBX
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