A Sincere Appeal to the USA for Fair Treatment of Amharas in Resolving Ethiopia's Conflict
A Sincere Appeal to the USA for Fair Treatment of Amharas in Resolving Ethiopia's Conflict
Why this petition matters
July 6, 2021
The Honorable Antony J. Blinken
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Secretary
Dear Secretary Blinken:
Today, we read the very shocking press release on the current Ethiopia’s Tigray situation that demands the complete withdrawal of Amhara forces from what TPLF unilaterally considers the borders of the Tigray Regional State.
“…an affirmation that neither the internal nor external borders of Ethiopia will be changed by force or in contravention of the constitution…”
We, the Amhara people, are deeply disturbed and devastated by the above statement, which absolutely neglects the complex historical backgrounds and the long-standing territorial dispute. It also undermines over 30 years of unaccountable, heinous ethnic cleansing against Amharas and systematic demographic changes across what TPLF labels “Western Tigray” which was part of Gondar (a province now under Amhara Region) for centuries prior to 1991. It is deeply saddening that the statement even does not account for the recent heinous crimes against the Amhara people in Mai-Kadra where more than 1,300 ethnic Amharas were brutally massacred*. After TPLF controlled the central government in 1991, it settled thousands of ethnic Tigryans to the area that it now calls “Western Tigray” and changed the names of several places. As example, “Mai-Kadra” was known as “Kadra-Wonz”.
The repeated undue pressure the state department is building against the Amhara ethnic group because of the path it chose to solve the Tigray conflict, has exasperated the targeting of Amharas that are already the victim of ethnic based attacks due to the 30 years long hate propagated by TPLF and its accomplices across the nation**.
Although we acknowledge the commitment of the USA to ensure the respect of human rights and democracy, we the Amhara people demand a fair treatment in the resolution of our long-standing quest for the return of our identity and ancestral land and protection of our people. We sincerely appeal to the USA and International Community to follow a holistic approach in resolving the current issues in Ethiopia. The native Amharas in Wolkait-Humera have not yet recovered from the post-traumatic stress disorder after the recent massacre in Mai-Kadra. The native Amhara residents of Wolkait-Humera in what TPLF calls “West Tigray”, and that of Raya in what TPLF calls “South Tigray” have been trying to get the issue resolved according to the constitution through a peaceful process, despite the fact TPLF forcibly annexed these areas even before the current constitution was made into the law of the land. Hence, Amharas are very sensitive and distraught by the USA comment on the withdrawal of Amhara forces from their own native homeland where TPLF would perform tens of Maikadra massacre level attacks if they were not afforded protection. Instead, they demand an all-inclusive solution that equally work for their safety and land right which they deserve. It is a very well-known fact that the Wolkait-Humera people have fought for long time for the return of their identity and ancestral land***.
We sincerely request that the ultimate resolution should consider all the historical evidences and most importantly the long-time sufferings of the native Amharas, the gross violation of their human rights, and the crimes against humanity perpetrated against them in the past 30 years as a result of the forced annexation of their territories into “Tigray Region”. We trust that the USA and the International Community unbiasedly treat the situations in Ethiopia and positively contribute towards the long-term solution. First and foremost, however, we demand that the USA and the international community recognize that TPLF has openly through international media waged war against the entire group of Amharas. The deafening silence regarding the war mongering of TPLF is emboldening the group to carry out yet more massacres against Amharas. We expect all peace loving people to join our call to stop the war on Amharas and end the 30 year long suffering of Amharas as quickly and decisively as possible.
Yours Sincerely,
Concerned People of Amhara