WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement marking one year since the start of the war in northern Ethiopia and on the Biden Administration’s announcement today of its intent to terminate Ethiopia’s eligibility for trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
“This week marks one year since the start of a horrific war in northern Ethiopia that has imperiled the country and its people, hardened ethnic divisions, and destabilized the region. The Ethiopian government’s role in the conflict and its resistance to efforts to encourage reconciliation run counter to requirements set forth in the AGOA statute.
“The Biden Administration and the U.S. Congress have been clear over the last year that the only path toward ending this war, and the associated violence, destruction, and starvation, is through a ceasefire and political dialogue by all sides, and should be done without pre-conditions.
“There is no path to peace through military action in northern Ethiopia, just greater human suffering and a continued hardening of divisions in the country. The United States must continue to stand firm against this senseless war, and the many other conflicts affecting communities in Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, Somali, and other regions.”
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