Urgent Concern Regarding Ambassador Massinga’s Statement on Renewed Conflict in Tigray

Subject: Urgent Concern Regarding Ambassador Massinga’s Statement on Renewed Conflict in Tigray

Dear Secretary of State and Officials of the U.S. Department of State,

On behalf of Justice for Tigray and the more than 12,964 individuals who have supported our petition calling for justice, accountability, and protection of civilians in Tigray, we write to express our profound concern regarding the recent public statement by U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga concerning the renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia.

We strongly support an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, humanitarian access, and a peaceful resolution through the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. We do not seek to excuse violations committed by any party. Accountability must apply equally to everyone.

It is precisely for that reason that Ambassador Massinga's characterization of the present escalation is so troubling. His statement appears to assign primary responsibility for the renewed conflict to the TPLF without adequately acknowledging the preceding military escalation, including reported federal military operations, drone and air attacks, or the broader unresolved circumstances that brought the parties back to war.

Determining responsibility for the outbreak of armed conflict is an extraordinarily serious matter. Such a determination should rest on independently verified evidence—not competing claims made by parties to the conflict. We therefore believe it was premature for a representative of the United States to publicly attribute responsibility before the circumstances surrounding the escalation have been independently established.

This approach is particularly concerning given the history of the previous war.

The United States itself documented extremely serious violations during the 2020–2022 conflict. The State Department subsequently determined that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, alongside serious violations committed by other forces. The United States also repeatedly condemned killings, forced displacement, sexual violence, obstruction of humanitarian assistance, and other atrocities committed during the conflict.

Those findings should make the United States especially cautious about accepting the narrative of any belligerent without independent verification.

Thousands of civilians were killed, displaced, subjected to sexual violence, deprived of humanitarian assistance, and otherwise devastated during the previous conflict. Yet meaningful accountability for many of those crimes remains elusive. That failure of accountability has contributed to a dangerous environment in which communities once devastated by war now fear that another catastrophic cycle of violence may be beginning.

For Tigrayans who survived the previous conflict, Ambassador Massinga's statement therefore does not read as an ordinary diplomatic observation. It creates the deeply troubling impression that the suffering and unresolved accountability questions of the previous war have been pushed aside while responsibility for the current escalation is being assigned before an impartial investigation has occurred.

We respectfully request that the Department of State:

Clarify whether Ambassador Massinga's attribution of responsibility represents the official position of the United States Government.
Reaffirm that responsibility for initiating or escalating the current hostilities should be determined on the basis of independently verified evidence.
Publicly call on all parties, including the Ethiopian federal government and its forces, Tigrayan forces, Eritrea, regional forces, militias, and other armed actors, to cease hostilities and protect civilians.
Call for independent monitoring and investigation of drone strikes, airstrikes, attacks on civilians, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and other potential violations of international humanitarian law.
Reaffirm America's previous commitment to accountability for atrocities committed during the 2020–2022 conflict and make clear that renewed political engagement will not erase unresolved crimes.
Use U.S. diplomatic influence to prevent another mass-atrocity cycle in Tigray rather than waiting until civilian casualties once again reach catastrophic levels.
Our request is not that the United States take the side of Tigray's political leadership. Nor do we ask the United States to overlook violations committed by Tigrayan forces.

We ask for something more fundamental: that the United States stand consistently for truth, civilian protection, impartial accountability, and prevention of mass atrocities regardless of the identity of the perpetrator.

The lessons of the previous war should compel greater caution today, not less. When warning signs of renewed mass violence are emerging, diplomatic statements matter. They can discourage escalation—or unintentionally give political cover to it.

More than 12,800 people have already joined our call for justice for Tigray. We will continue advocating peacefully for accountability, civilian protection, and a durable political settlement. We respectfully urge the Department of State to review Ambassador Massinga's statement and ensure that U.S. diplomacy in Ethiopia remains consistent with America's documented commitment to human rights, atrocity prevention, impartial accountability, and sustainable peace.

Respectfully,

Justice for Tigray
Representing more than 12,964 petition supporters