STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL'S CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY ON ETHIOPIA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
Ethiopia After Meles Zenawi

Testimony

Donald Y. Yamamoto
Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs

Before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Washington, DC

June 20, 2013

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to discuss the situation in Ethiopia since the death in August 2012 of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Post-Meles Ethiopia presents the United States with a significant opportunity to encourage Ethiopia to improve its human rights record, liberalize its economy, and provide increased space for opposition parties and civil society organizations. Post-Meles Ethiopia also presents a significant challenge since Ethiopia plays an important role in advancing regional integration and mitigating regional conflict in Somalia and Sudan. Our partnership with Ethiopia balances these interests by focusing on democracy, governance, and human rights; economic growth and development; and regional peace and security.


Ethiopia and the United States enjoy strong ties on several levels. More than one million people of Ethiopian origin live in the United States. Many of these individuals are returning to their homeland to expand the political and economic ties between our two countries. A wide range of groups and individuals in the United States provide humanitarian support to Ethiopians. Ethiopia is also home to one of the oldest Peace Corps programs.


Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights
Ethiopia’s weak human rights record creates tension in our relationship and we continue to push for press freedom, appropriate application of anti-terrorism legislation, a loosening of restrictions on civil society, greater tolerance for opposition views, and religious dialogue. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) controls all aspects of government, including the legislative branch where the EPRDF and its allies hold 545 of 547 parliamentary seats. Political space in Ethiopia is limited and opposition viewpoints are generally not represented in government. In recent years, Ethiopia has passed legislation restricting press freedoms and NGO activities. On June 2, several thousand demonstrators calling for the release of political prisoners, an end to interference in religious affairs, action on unemployment and corruption, and an end to illegal evictions marched peacefully through the capital, without government interference. This was the first such political demonstration officially permitted by the Ethiopian Government since 2005.


Economic Growth and Development
Ethiopia ranks among the ten fastest-growing economies in the world, averaging 10 percent GDP growth over the last five years. State-run infrastructure drives much of this growth. Our bilateral trade and investment relationship is limited by investment climate challenges and the lack of market liberalization. The main sectors of interest to U.S. companies are telecommunications, financial services, logistics, and wholesaling. U.S. firms have a significant competitive advantage in these areas. These sectors, however, are closed to foreign investors and U.S. firms are discouraged by Ethiopia’s relatively weak private sector and state-dominated economy. These issues are compounded by macroeconomic challenges that include volatile inflation, a shortage of foreign exchange, lack of capital, financing, and logistical bottlenecks. Despite the challenges, however, there are clearly opportunities and U.S. business is taking advantage of them. Currently about 100 U.S. companies are represented in Ethiopia. Total U.S. exports to Ethiopia in 2012 were $1.29 billion; imports from Ethiopia totaled $183 million. Ethiopian Airlines is an important customer for Boeing, with over one billion dollars in recent purchases, supported in part by the Export-Import Bank. Ethiopian Airlines was the third airline to purchase the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the first to get it back into service following the Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary grounding. Ethiopia will also host the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act Forum on August 12-13 this year, as we begin the dialogue on renewal of AGOA in 2015.

Ethiopia is a significant recipient of U.S. foreign aid, having benefited from over $740 million in FY 2012 assistance, primarily in health (under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Global Health Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative), agriculture and food and nutrition security (through Feed the Future and the G-8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition), basic education, and food aid. Other major donors include the United Kingdom, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. As a matter of policy, the Ethiopian Government is focused on eventually eliminating the need for donor assistance. The Ethiopian Government co-hosted the Child Survival Call to Action and has emerged as a leader on the push to end preventable maternal and child deaths.


Regional Peace and Security
As chair of the African Union, Ethiopia will play a key role in determining AU priorities on peace and security and development and governance. Ethiopia views Somali instability and al-Shabaab and other Islamic extremist groups as serious threats to its national security. Though not a troop contributing country for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Ethiopia expends significant resources to support the AMISOM-led campaign against al-Shabaab including deploying its own forces to fight alongside the Somali National Army and AMISOM. Expansion of U.S. funding of Somali National Army forces in the Gedo region is appreciated by Ethiopia and helps keep Ethiopia active in the fight against al-Shabaab. Ethiopia maintains strong relations with both Sudan and South Sudan and is the sole troop-contributor (4,200 increasing to over 5,000 shortly) to the UN Interim Stabilization Force in Abyei (UNISFA), where an Ethiopian peacekeeper was killed and two others were seriously injured in an attack on May 4. Since he took office, Prime Minister Hailemariam has organized two summits of the leaders of the Sudan and South Sudan to facilitate negotiations; pressed Sudan to negotiate with rebels from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North; and urged Sudan to allow humanitarian aid into Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The Government of Ethiopia has also contributed more than 2,000 personnel to the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Ethiopia continues to receive and welcome a stream of refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan.


Advancing Our Relationship
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, Ethiopia is an important U.S. partner and we value continued cooperation on a range of mutually important objectives.

As Secretary Kerry noted when he met with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the 60th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity summit on May 25, Ethiopia plays a crucial role in fostering peace and stability across the volatile Horn of Africa, particularly in weakening al-Shabaab in Somalia and helping mitigate conflict between Sudan and South Sudan. While the country boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the world, our evolving commercial and business relationship is limited due to restrictions on foreign investment, investment climate challenges, and the Ethiopian Government’s strict control of the economy. In advancing our policy objectives in Ethiopia, we focus simultaneously on improving cooperation in security and counterterrorism, strengthening economic growth and development, and pushing for greater respect for human rights, stronger governance, and democratic principles.

We appreciate Ethiopia’s influential role in ensuring regional peace and security, and we will continue to work closely with Ethiopia to coordinate cooperation in Somalia, in the Sudans, and throughout the region.

We are also committed to expanding our bilateral trade and investment relationship, as a key driver for broad-based economic growth. To that end, we will encourage Ethiopia to work toward greater market liberalization, including progress towards World Trade Organization accession. Recent successes on the economic front include a May 13-15 trade mission sponsored by the State of Illinois and a November 2012 agricultural investment conference sponsored by the Corporate Council on Africa. We are working closely with a major U.S. company to secure multimillion dollar deals in support of several key infrastructure development projects, and American companies have signed letters of intent and committed to investments in support of Ethiopia’s country Cooperation Framework under the G8 New Alliance.

On democracy and human rights, we recently secured agreements to do media development training and open two community radio stations. Mechanisms such as our bilateral Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights Working Group, bilateral Economic Growth and Development Working Group, and Bilateral Defense Committee are useful tools for advancing our policy objectives in our three focus pillars. At the same time, we are public in our support for an improved environment for civil society, those we believe to have been subjected to politically motivated arrests, inclusive democratic processes, and rule-of-law. Making progress on this area will continue to be challenging and will require a great deal of creativity.

Thank you very much. I will be pleased to take your questions.

U.S. CONGRATULATIES ETHIOPIA ON IT'S NATIONAL DAY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Ethiopia's National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 28, 2013
On behalf of the government and the people of the United States, I am delighted to express our congratulations and best wishes to the government and people of Ethiopia as you celebrate your national day on May 28.

In Addis Ababa recently to participate in the Summit commemorating the African Union’s 50th anniversary, I experienced personally the warmth of the U.S.-Ethiopian relationship.

The United States and Ethiopia share a strong history as friends and partners. With the government and the people of Ethiopia, we strive to promote economic growth and development, democratic governance and respect for human rights, and security and stability in the Horn of Africa.

The United States is committed to helping Ethiopia achieve a more peaceful and prosperous future, and we look forward to enriching our partnership as we seek to achieve common goals.

As you gather with family and friends on your national day, the United States wishes you a joyous celebration.

U.S. OFFICIAL'S REMARKS ON RECENT HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN AFRICA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. Policy and Response to Recent Humanitarian Crisis in Africa
Remarks
Anne C. Richard
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) Africa Conference
Arlington, VA
May 16, 2013

Thank you for that kind introduction, and for having me here today. And thank you for your decades of service to refugees in this country and around the world.

There are a series of issues I’d like to address today, ranging from refugee crises overseas to our own domestic programs that resettle refugees in America and help them to rebuild their lives.

I want to update you on the latest actions of the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration during what is proving to be a busy time. I’ve been told you all have a special interest in developments in Africa, so I will spend a few extra minutes on African refugee issues.

Devastating overseas emergencies are pushing more and more refugees from their homes, and the United States plays a leading role in responding to these emergencies.

Our overall approach to responding to these crises will remain consistent: working multilaterally with international organization partners such as the UN Refugee Agency (or UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration; focusing on protection and finding safe places for refugees to re-start their lives; and burden-sharing with host governments as well as other donor governments.

We will also continue to look to aid agencies that serve as our partners to augment the international response.

PRM is dealing with a major refugee crisis in the Middle East at the same time as a number of new refugee and displacement crises in Africa.

These include people fleeing violence in northern Mali who have yet to get to go home, refugees crossing the border from Sudan into South Sudan, and continued violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. How are we doing in responding to these crises?

In Syria, more than 70,000 are dead, 1.4 millon people are refugees and millions more displaced or hurt inside Syria. We applaud the generosity of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq for hosting the Syrian refugees who have crossed onto their territory. I have visited each of these countries, met with Syrian refugees, and sought help for them from senior government officials. Much is being done but, quite frankly, the daunting scale of this crisis is challenging everyone involved. Inside Syria, along with USAID, we support efforts to get aid to those who need it despite shifting battle-lines.

At the same time as this major crisis grips the headlines, the conflict in the north of Mali has resulted in nearly 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and nearly 180,000 refugees in neighboring countries.

Last Fall, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and I traveled to Damba refugee camp in Burkina Faso, just 50 kilometers from the Mali border. Part of our mission was to draw attention to the crisis, so we appeared all over the newspapers and airwaves in Ouagadougou and then repeated ourselves before the media and diplomats of Geneva.

Prospects for peace in Mali are hard to gauge, but this crisis has not been forgotten. Yesterday, a donors conference was held in Brussels for Mali and at that conference there was an understanding that there needs to be more development in that country, especially in the north. The US announced another $32 million, bringing total US funding through international and non-governmental organization for Malian refugees and IDPs to more than $180 million.

On July 1st, the UN will start bringing in MINUSMA 11,200 peacekeeping troops and more than 1400 police. MINUSMA will subsume the African-led AFISMA mission that was set up last September – essentially many MINUSMA troops will be West African peacekeepers who are already on the ground. A separate French strike force will remain to deal with extremists and terrorists. Elections are scheduled for July 28th.

And suffering in Sudan has not abated. You are all familiar with the Darfur situation. More recently, however, our attention has been focused on conflict along Sudan’s southern border and the 230,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighboring South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya over the past two years. PRM has provided over $50 million to meet these emergency needs through UNHCR and its partners.

At the same time, in Eastern Congo, violence has driven new waves of Congolese refugees from their homes … and we will need to continue to work to help them.

Thanks to continued strong support from Congress this fiscal year, PRM will maintain its leadership role in responding to the needs of refugees worldwide, including efforts to assist refugees to return home voluntarily in safety and dignity when conditions permit-- like the 70,000 Congolese who were able to go back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from neighboring Congo-Brazzaville.

When I was in Kenya this past year, I was asked about the possibility for Somalis to return. Even as some voluntary return may be possible, it is vital that refugees continue to find safety in Kenya given the volatile security situation and scarcity of food inside Somalia.

Even as some 80% of Somali refugees indicate on surveys that they are willing to repatriate if peace returns to Somalia, more than 60,000 new Somali refugees have fled to neighboring countries so far this year.

When return home isn’t possible, we also support local integration in host communities. For example, some 160,000 1972-era Burundi refugees were initially offered Tanzanian citizenship in 2009 and accepted. Some political work needs to be done but the initiative on the part of the Tanzanian Government is a model that may provide valuable lessons on local integration that could be applied to other long-term refugee situations around the world.

Let’s now turn our attention back to our own country, the United States. As all of you here today know, the United States is also the world’s leading resettlement country, admitting more refugees each year than all other resettlement countries combined – more than three million since 1975.

And we all know that our own communities have been as enriched by these newcomers as they have been by the opportunities this country has provided them.

Our overall resettlement policy remains the same: we will continue to strive to achieve the President’s refugee admissions ceiling, focusing on the most vulnerable who cannot go home or be integrated in their country of first asylum.

The PRM Bureau has gone to extraordinary lengths in the past year to reach refugees in need of resettlement who were previously inaccessible because of dangerous conditions in the places where they had sought asylum. In Kenya, UNHCR has referred thousands of Somalis in the Dadaab camp for U.S. resettlement. Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security was unable to interview them because it was determined to be too risky to send DHS officers to Dadaab.

Last year, we provided additional funding to build a transit center in Kakuma camp, where conditions are safer, and have moved close to 1,000 individuals from Dadaab to Kakuma to continue the process for U.S. resettlement. Another 900 will be moved to Kakuma in the next week. These refugees, many of whom have been living in Dadaab for more than 20 years, will start arriving in the United States this month.

Many of you know by now that UNHCR has announced its intention to refer up to 50,000 Congolese for resettlement over the next five years. Most will likely come to the United States. Given the level of trauma and need among this population, we want to work together with all of you to do this right.

That’s why we’ve formed a working group to bring together partners from all across the spectrum – overseas and domestic, government, International Organizations, and NGOs – to see how we can better prepare the refugees and communities for successful resettlement.

Late last year the Government of Chad contacted UNHCR to say it had changed its policy and would be open to the resettlement to other countries of refugees from Darfur who have been living in Eastern Chad. PRM staff traveled to Chad in February to look into this possibility. My colleagues are cautiously optimistic and we will be reporting more on this to you in the coming weeks and months.

Working closely with the Department of Homeland Security, we re-instated the priority three or "P-3" family reunion program this year with a new DNA requirement to ensure that the program is fulfilling its purpose of reuniting relatives.

I’m pleased to report that we are on track to admit the number of refugees in the Presidential Determination this year. That is 70,000 refugees– a more than 20% increase over last year’s number.

You should also know that we’ve been able to admit these refugees in a much more even pace than in recent years. Just under 50% of the refugees we expect this year were admitted in the first half of the fiscal year.

We recognize that this increase comes at a time of shrinking state and local budgets, cuts in social services, and the challenges of raising private contributions. As you know, PRM has helped deal with economic challenges to the program by doubling the amount of funding provided on a per capita basis to receive and place refugees in 2010. We have provided modest increases since then.

We also are providing "floor funding" to our resettlement agency partners, essentially guaranteeing sufficient funding for services to 60,000 refugees so that program managers can plan and hire staff with the assurance that the funding will be there.

Despite all these improvements, we know that many refugees are still struggling in the early weeks and months of their arrival in the States. This leads me to ask: How can our domestic programs best address the needs of refugees? What more can we do to help refugees effectively integrate into new communities?

Given the overall budget situation in Washington, we all acknowledge the need to widen the circle of domestic "stakeholders" in the refugee resettlement program. We need to ensure a warm reception for the refugees we resettle. We need to find creative ways to expand participation in the program at the local level and support for the program by community leaders.

PRM is increasingly reaching out to state and local elected officials, employers, health clinics, schools, and others, during our domestic trips. We are acutely aware of the importance of early employment for refugees, and therefore of the importance of your developing strong relationships with responsible employers in your communities.

Employers PRM staff and I have met in our travels around the US have been among the strongest advocates for the refugee admissions program. Tyson Foods, which provides English language training to refugees, has created community liaison positions to assist refugees navigate services and builds bridges with the host community. A firm in Ft. Wayne, Indiana was inspired by the challenges refugees have overcome and was impressed by their work ethic. Burmese now make up 10% of the workforce there. A Subway sandwich shop owner in Baltimore who keeps hiring more refugees says they are the best employees he’s ever had.

I know that you all could name dozens, if not hundreds, of companies that are also strong advocates for the program, and they are an essential part of the success of the US Refugee Admissions Program.

ECDC’s affiliated agencies benefit from the volunteer work of thousands of highly motivated and caring community members. We recognize the strong one-on-one relationships developed when an individual agrees to help welcome a refugee to his or her community, and I know this is happening every day at your offices across the country.

Whether it’s preparing an appropriate home-cooked meal for a family upon their arrival, helping to teach them English, or explaining how to navigate the local grocery store or bus system, these relationships are life-affirming and life-changing for both sides. These relationships also help build crucial support among Americans for the refugee resettlement program. I’ll be curious to hear from you what you all are doing to reach out to non-traditional stakeholders in your communities.

In conclusion, I want to thank you for all you do all year long as an essential part of the US Refugee Admissions Program. The work of communities and networks of volunteers helps to turn the promise of America --as a land that welcomes refugees -- into a reality. The success of our resettlement program depends on you. Thank you for the part you play in letting refugees turn their stories of tragedy into ones of triumph.

U.S. CONCERNED OVER ETHIOPIAN CONVICTION OF JOURNALIST UNDER ANTI-TERRORISM PROCLAMATION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Ethiopian Court's Conviction of Eskinder Nega
Press Statement Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 27, 2012

We are deeply concerned about the Ethiopian government’s conviction of a number of journalists and opposition members under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. This practice raises serious questions and concerns about the intent of the law, and about the sanctity of Ethiopians' constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

The arrest of journalists has a chilling effect on the media and on the right to freedom of expression. We have made clear in our ongoing human rights dialogue with the Ethiopian government that freedom of expression and freedom of the media are fundamental elements of a democratic society.

As Secretary Clinton has said, “When a free media is under attack anywhere, all human rights are under attack everywhere. That is why the United States joins its global partners in calling for the release of all imprisoned journalists in every country across the globe and for the end to intimidation.”

U.S. CONCERNED WITH HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN HORN OF AFRICA

FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Increase in U.S. Funding to Drought Relief in the Horn of Africa
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 5, 2012
The United States continues to be deeply concerned by the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, and particularly the hard-hit Somali population. Despite the end of famine conditions in February, nearly 10 million people in the region still require humanitarian assistance. For this reason, the United States Government is providing an additional nearly $50 million in aid for refugees and drought-affected communities in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya in addition to what we have already provided. As Secretary Clinton announced April 3rd, since early in 2011 "the United States has provided almost $1 billion in humanitarian assistance that has saved countless lives from malnutrition, starvation, and disease. And our sustained commitment has demonstrated the best of America, helping to undermine the extremist narrative of terrorist groups like al-Shabaab in Somalia."

The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) stated April 3, 2012 that the March-May rains in the eastern Horn of Africa will not be adequate. Poor rains would likely negatively affect food security in a region still recovering from a devastating drought and famine in 2011. The United States remains committed to breaking the cycle of hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa and to this end will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and call on others to join it in supporting the UN's $1.5 billion 2012 Consolidated Appeal for Somalia. This appeal is currently funded at only $179 million. We encourage all donors to take additional steps to tackle both immediate assistance needs and strengthen capacity in the region to mitigate future crises.

In addition to our emergency assistance, the United States is leading efforts to address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity by improving agricultural systems in the Horn of Africa under the Feed the Future initiative. As part of these efforts, yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah participated in a high-level forum on strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities to drought in the Horn of Africa. The forum brings together African and international development leaders who are committed to working together in new ways to prevent future humanitarian crises related to drought.