Six Congress members urge US to halt cuts in foreign assistance to Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, September 6, 2020 (FBC) – Six members of the Congress have urged the United States (US) to halt cuts in foreign assistance to Ethiopia.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, they expressed their grave concern over the reported cuts to foreign assistance to Ethiopia.

The six members of the US Congress who wrote the letter are Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Colin Allerd, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Joyce Beatty and Rep. Gerald E Connollly.

“Any such cuts would not only serve to degrade our relationship with a trusted partner but also undermine our position as an honest broker in the fragile ongoing negotiation between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD),” they said.

“The constriction of the GERD is the product of years of small dollar donations and advanced engineering by the Ethiopian people. The project is a point of national pride for Ethiopians and holds the potential to stimulate economic growth in the region by providing assured access to electricity to millions of Ethiopians,” they added.

They stated the 6,000 megawatts of power the dam is projected to generate will revolutionize the Ethiopian grid and make Ethiopia the largest exporter of electricity in Africa.

The US-Ethiopian relationship dates back more than a hundred years, said members of the Congress, adding Ethiopia is also a critical security partner in the region.

Indicating that Ethiopia is a key contributor to AMISOM and an invaluable ally in combating terrorist group like al-Shabab, they said, cuts to US foreign assistance to country would run contrary to US interest in the region and would degrade the strong relationship that “our nations have cultivated over the last century.”

They said the Administration’s reported cuts to foreign assistance clearly favour one side in a manner that betrays “our nation’s commitment to being an impartial observer, undermines Ethiopia’s sovereignty, and subverts the work of African Union diplomats.”