Addis Ababa, June 4, 2021(Walta) – Ethiopian-Americans are urging congressional representatives and senators to oppose the sanction the Biden Administration is taking against Ethiopia which is based on a false narrative supplied by the defunct terrorist TPLF supporters and their lobbyist paid with the stolen money from the Ethiopian people.
The Voter Voice Campaign that Global Ethiopian Advocacy Nexus (GLEAN) has organized is said to have helped reach the majority of senators and congressional representatives in a short period. Meron Ahadu, Media Monitoring Team Member with GLEAN told The Ethiopian Herald over 2,816 calls have been made, and over 50 percent of the Senators have been contacted while over 200 Congressional representatives have been phoned.
She said the purpose is to increase the awareness of the senators and representatives that the majority of Ethiopian-Americans and their allies are opposed to the Biden Administration’s stance on Ethiopia.
“It is also to make them reconsider their own position, understanding that most of their constituents would like them to support the Ethiopian people and government.” Genet Nigusse who is also a GLEAN Outreach Team Member said that the campaign is expected to disabuse the Biden administration from imposing the sanction. “We’re using the Voters Voice platform to send a clear message to our congressional representatives and senators to oppose the sanction and to explain to them that the decision by the State department threatens to undermine US-Ethiopia diplomatic ties.”
If the Biden administration escalates the visa restriction and fulfills its threat of economic sanctions, this will further lead to a dire economic situation that could further exacerbate the political polarization and lead to a migration that the world has not ever seen, she said. “We would like to send a clear message that we are not happy with the Senate Resolution-97 & the newly introduced House Resolution-445.”
The Administration’s decision is bad for the US strategic role in the HOA, she said, adding that Ethiopia has been contributing to the peacekeeping force and will impact Ethiopia’s ability to positively participate in any future peacekeeping effort.
She added that Ethiopians need to understand these lawmakers believed the false narrative that has been floating around by the TPLF supporters and their lobbyists paid with the stolen money from the Ethiopian people.