Members of the Eritrean Research Institute for Policy and Strategy (ERIPS) met twice and discussed with several staff members of the U.S. Congress about the current situation in Eritrea and the Horn of Africa. On September 14, 2021, ERIPS members met with several staff members of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Two days later, on September 16, 2021, the ERIPS team met for the second time in recent months with staff members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
During the meetings, ERIPS members briefed about the brutal human rights abuses that the Eritrean people are suffering under the Isaias regime, including but not limited to, the absence of rule of law; widespread forced labor and conscription; restrictions on freedom of expression, opinion, and faith; the never-ending war footing; harsh economic, political and social conditions; deprivation of basic needs of the people, and the refusal of the Eritrean regime to collaborate with the global COVAX program.
The ERIPS team further explained that the Isaias regime thrives on chaos and conflicts and that ERIPS believes the Eritrean regime is the architect and one of the main perpetrators of war crimes that are taking place in Ethiopia, where an unimaginable humanitarian disaster is unfolding before our eyes, primarily driven by war, a de facto blockade on aid and possible genocide.
The ERIPS team emphasized the necessity of taking strong measures by the United States and the international community to immediately halt the hostilities in Ethiopia. The war in Tigray and northern Ethiopia has the potential to spill over to other regions of Ethiopia and the entire Horn of Africa, and unless the U.S. takes major steps in ending the conflict, the worsening crisis may lead to a much larger, multi-faceted humanitarian crisis spreading throughout the Horn of Africa region.
The ERIPS team further highlighted the need for curtailing the Eritrean dictator’s involvement in the Ethiopian internal affairs and not appeasing him as he has proven himself time and again to be an instigator of conflicts in the region. The ERIPS team provided the congressional staff members additional details to show that the Isaias regime is not only causing chaos in the Horn of Africa region, but also is at odds with U.S. foreign policy and national security.
Some additional recommendations of the ERIPS team included for the U.S. to leverage its diplomatic and economic powers for exerting significant pressure on the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea so that the regimes will be forced to abide by the international law. The U.S. government also can influence regional and international actors to break ties with the rogue governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the paramilitary elements involved in the conflict.
Regarding the current crisis in the Horn of Africa, the ERIPS team concluded its recommendations by asking the U.S. government to set its priorities on influencing all parties of the conflict to accept an immediate cessation of hostilities, allow humanitarian aid to reach the civilian population in Tigray and ensure the tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees in the region are protected and provided with lifesaving assistance.
As for the long-term solution for the region, the team further recommended that the United States support and ensure an independent inquiry into war crimes, massacre, rape, human rights abuses and possible genocide committed by the perpetuators; pave the way for accountability, and assist in national and regional reconciliation and trust-building efforts.
The staff members appreciated ERIPS’ efforts, the insights it provides and its forward-looking and solution-oriented approach. The staff members also highlighted the U.S. policy toward the Horn of Africa and America’s relentless efforts in attempting to bring peace, security, stability and development to the Horn of Africa region. At the end of each meeting, the Congressional staff members and the ERIPS team agreed to ongoing engagements.
ERIPS is a research organization of Eritrean professionals and intellectuals working to shape the future well-being and democratic health of Eritrea and its people. ERIPS strives to bring political and socio-economic change in Eritrea through advocacy work and by disseminating well-researched policies and strategies that lay the foundation for institution building in post-dictatorship Eritrea.
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