WATCH LIVE: Secretary of State Blinken gives remarks during visit to Ethiopia
PBS NewsHourAUG 2023
In 2021, the Biden admin. stood strong against the atrocities taking place in Ethiopia by announcing a plan to release a package of sanctions aimed at discouraging the warring parties from continuing combat. The US government went the extra mile to ensure that the harsh sanctions would not adversely affect humanitarian aid, following a hard lesson learned from the Obama administration's efforts in Somalia in 2011. By engaging with European partners to consolidate support, thoroughly considered intervention seems to have done the trick at stabilizing the region.
The Biden admin. wants people to believe that they care about Ethiopians, but it has a history of turning a blind eye to atrocities and humanitarian violations in the country. Blinken, Biden, and Rice are the trio to watch, having ignored the Mai Cadra Massacres in 2020, revenge killings by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the TPLF's targeted destruction of roads and bridges used for humanitarian aid. The US is motivated by geopolitical influence, not the men, women, or even the children suffering in Ethiopia.