,,iii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ig ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #i1 #bjba,mr4 ,risch 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,young1 and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,calling on the ,government of ,ethiopia1 the ,tigray ,people's ,liberation ,front1 and other belligerents to cease all hostilities1 protect human rights1 allow unfettered humanitarian access1 and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations pertaining to the conflict in the ,tigray ,region of ,ethiopia4 ,whereas the ,united ,states and the ,federal ,democratic ,republic of ,ethiopia share an important relationship and more than a century of diplomatic relations2 ,whereas ,ethiopia is the second most populous country in ,africa and plays a key role in advancing security and stability across sub-,saharan ,africa1 including as a top contributor of uniformed personnel to ,united ,nations peacekeeping missions2 ,whereas tensions between ,prime ,minister ,abiy ,ahmed's ,prosperity ,party and the ,tigray ,people's ,liberation ,front 7,,tplf71 which was part of the ruling coalition in ,ethiopia until late #bjai1 escalated when the ,,tplf held elections in the ,tigray ,region of ,ethiopia on ,september #i1 #bjbj1 despite the decision by the ,federal ,government of ,ethiopia to postpone general elections due to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas the ,,tplf rejected the postponement of general elections and considered the extension of the term of the ,federal ,government to be unconstitutional1 and the ,federal ,government subsequently deemed the ,tigray regional elections illegitimate2 ,whereas1 in the early hours of ,november #d1 #bjbj1 ,prime ,minister ,abiy ordered a military offensive in response to an attack by the ,,tplf on the ,northern ,command of the ,ethiopian ,national ,defense ,forces 7,,endf71 which evolved into an armed conflict between the ,,endf and allied forces on one side and the ,,tplf on the other side1 with thousands of deaths reported2 ,whereas the ,government of ,ethiopia rejected all offers1 including one extended by ,african ,union ,chairman ,cyril ,ramaphosa in ,november #bjbj1 to mediate talks with the ,,tplf2 ,whereas1 on ,november #bh1 #bjbj1 the ,government of ,ethiopia claimed victory in the conflict after taking ,mekelle1 the capital city of the ,tigray ,region1 with ,prime ,minister ,abiy announcing that his forces had completed and ceased the military operations and would shift focus to rebuilding the region and providing humanitarian assistance while ,federal police attempt to apprehend leaders of the ,,tplf2 ,whereas clashes have continued in the ,tigray ,region and ,ethiopian soldiers and allied forces have pursued prominent ,,tplf leaders1 notably killing former ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs of ,ethiopia ,seyoum ,mesfin as part of a stabilizing mission ''' to bring to justice perpetrators2 ,whereas1 in #bjbj1 prior to the outbreak of fighting in the ,tigray ,region1 there were more than #a1hjj1jjj people internally displaced in ,ethiopia and approximately #b1jjj1jjj people in the ,tigray ,region were already in need of humanitarian assistance2 ,whereas the conflict in the ,tigray ,region has prompted more than #fa1jjj ,ethiopians to seek refuge in ,sudan1 has displaced as many as #ejj1jjj people internally1 and has caused severe shortages of food1 water1 medical supplies1 and other necessary goods for those who remain in the region2 ,whereas the conflict has disrupted harvests1 livelihoods1 markets1 and supply chains1 food and medical supplies have been looted1 and restrictions and bureaucratic impediments continue to constrain the humanitarian response1 with nearly #d1jjj1jjj people in the ,tigray ,region estimated to require urgent food assistance1 including #ajj1jjj ,eritrean refugees2 ,whereas1 during the first few weeks of the conflict1 there was a complete shutdown of electricity1 banking1 internet1 and telephone services throughout the ,tigray ,region by the ,government of ,ethiopia1 with government reports of ,,tplf forces also destroying communications infrastructure1 and subsequent service restorations have been limited2 ,whereas1 in addition to the shutdown of telephone and internet services1 which has severely limited the flow of information on the conflict and the humanitarian situation1 journalists have been restricted from accessing much of the ,tigray ,region1 several journalists have been arrested in connection to their coverage of the conflict1 and one journalist working for the ,tigray ,mass ,media ,agency was killed2 ,whereas1 although the ,government of ,ethiopia entered into an agreement with the ,united ,nations on ,november #bi1 #bjbj1 to facilitate humanitarian access to the ,tigray ,region1 that access remains limited2 ,whereas1 on ,february #a1 #bjba1 the ,secretary ,general of the ,norwegian ,refugee ,council stated1 ,twelve weeks since the fighting began1 the basic elements of a response on the scale needed are still not in place4 ,it is false to say that aid is increasingly getting through4 ,aid has only gone to the places with little conflict and more limited needs and is not keeping pace with the humanitarian crisis as it inevitably grows over time42 ,whereas1 on ,february #f1 #bjba1 the ,united ,nations ,world ,food ,programme 7,,wfp7 announced a new agreement with the ,government of ,ethiopia to rapidly scale up the deployment of emergency food assistance while improving the process for reviewing and approving requests from ,united ,nations and humanitarian partner agencies2 ,whereas humanitarian access to the refugee camps that were home to almost #ajj1jjj ,eritrean refugees at the start of the conflict has been especially restricted1 with the ,hitsats and ,shimelba camps still completely inaccessible1 and the ,united ,nations ,refugee ,agency estimates that #bj1jjj ,eritrean refugees displaced from those camps remain unaccounted for2 ,whereas ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees ,filippo ,grandi has expressed alarm about the overwhelming number of disturbing reports of ,eritrean refugees in ,tigray being killed1 abducted and forcibly returned to ,eritrea2 ,whereas1 in ,november #bjbj1 four humanitarian workers1 including one employee of the ,international ,rescue ,committee and three employees of the ,danish ,refugee ,council1 were killed at ,hitsats refugee camp2 ,whereas challenges to access have significantly restricted the reporting and documentation of atrocities1 but survivor and eye-witness testimony and satellite imagery have enabled reports to emerge of targeted violence or indiscriminate attacks against civilians committed by multiple parties to the conflict2 ,whereas examples of reported atrocities committed in the ,tigray ,region include the massacre in the town of ,mai ,kadra on ,november #i1 #bjbj1 in which1 according to estimates from the ,ethiopian ,human ,rights ,commission 7,,ehrc71 more than #fjj civilians died from what the ,,ehrc ,chief ,commissioner concluded was for no reason other than their ethnicity1 and a mass killing in the city of ,axum on ,november #bh through #bi1 #bjbj1 which involved1 according to reports from ,amnesty ,international1 the systematic killing of hundreds of unarmed civilians after ,ethiopian and ,eritrean troops retook the city2 ,whereas ,united ,nations ,special ,representative of the ,secretary-,general on ,sexual ,violence in ,conflict ,pramila ,patten has highlighted reports of sexual and gender-based violence1 including a high number of alleged rapes in ,mekelle2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bg1 #bjba1 the ,united ,states ,government publicly confirmed that ,eritrean ,defense ,forces 7,,edf7 are participating in the conflict in alliance with the ,,endf and called for the immediate withdrawal of all ,,edf soldiers from the ,tigray ,region1 and credible reports have emerged that ,,edf soldiers participating in the conflict have attacked civilians1 including ,eritrean refugees1 and looted and destroyed homes and religious institutions2 ,whereas ,ethiopia has been beset in recent years by multiple human rights and humanitarian challenges1 including targeted ethnic violence1 intercommunal conflict1 natural disasters1 and political unrest2 ,whereas1 since mid-#bjbj1 the ,office of the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 ,amnesty ,international1 and the ,ethiopian ,human ,rights ,commission have reported atrocities and a rise in ethnic and intercommunal violence in other parts of ,ethiopia1 including in the ,amhara1 ,benishangul-,gumuz1 ,somali1 ,afar1 and ,oromia regions2 ,whereas1 according to international human rights organizations1 during the conflict in the ,tigray ,region1 ethnic ,tigrayans throughout ,ethiopia have been suspended from their jobs and prevented from leaving the country1 and there are reports of surveillance and mass arrests of citizens of ,ethiopia based on their ethnicity2 ,whereas ,ethiopia is undergoing a fragile democratic transition1 with the postponed #bjbj general elections rescheduled for ,june #bjba1 except in the ,tigray ,region1 where elections have not yet been scheduled2 ,whereas the ,government of ,ethiopia has restricted the right of several opposition political parties to peacefully assemble1 and a number of opposition leaders have been jailed since the summer of #bjbj1 with varying degrees of due process violations and procedural delays in their trials2 and ,whereas the conflict in the ,tigray ,region occurs within the context of complicated regional and global dynamics featuring ongoing negotiations between ,ethiopia1 ,egypt1 and ,sudan over the ,grand ,ethiopian ,renaissance ,dam1 ,ethiopia's rapprochement with ,eritrea1 threats posed by the violent extremist organization ,al-,shabaab1 a struggle for influence and power among regional and global actors1 increasingly hostile border disputes between ,ethiopia and ,sudan1 and the fragile democratic transition and peace process in ,sudan3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 strongly disapproves of the escalation of political tensions between the ,government of ,ethiopia and the ,tigray ,people's ,liberation ,front 7,,tplf7 into armed conflict and condemns in the strongest terms all violence against civilians2 7#b7 appreciates the willingness of ,sudan to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict in the ,tigray ,region of ,ethiopia2 7#c7 calls on the ,government of ,eritrea to immediately and fully withdraw its military forces from ,ethiopia2 7#d7 calls for the swift and complete restoration of electricity1 banking1 telephone1 and internet services throughout the ,tigray ,region and other parts of ,ethiopia where communications have been restricted2 7#e7 calls on the ,government of ,ethiopia to-- 7,a7 ensure that any apprehensions of ,,tplf members are carried out with the least possible use of force and that the rights to which those detained are entitled under ,ethiopian and international law are fully respected2 7,b7 release opposition leaders detained on the basis of their political activity as well as journalists detained on the basis of their reporting1 and respect the rights of all ,ethiopians to free expression and political participation1 without discrimination based on ethnicity1 ideology1 or political affiliation2 and 7,c7 convene a national dialogue inclusive of all nonviolent political parties1 ethnic communities1 religious groups1 and civil society organizations in ,ethiopia to work toward the sustainable resolution of grievances and chart a democratic and peaceful path forward for the country2 7#f7 urges all parties to the conflict to-- 7,a7 cease all hostilities1 fully comply with international humanitarian law1 and refrain from actions that could spread or escalate the conflict1 particularly attacks on civilian targets2 7,b7 make demonstrable progress to guarantee unfettered and immediate humanitarian access1 for personnel and supplies1 to areas affected by the conflict1 and take all possible steps to protect the safety of civilians1 including refugees1 displaced persons1 and humanitarian aid workers2 and 7,c7 allow for1 and cooperate with1 independent and transparent investigations of any alleged human rights abuses committed in the course of the conflict and hold perpetrators to account2 and 7#g7 urges the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 to-- 7,a7 engage at the highest levels with leaders of the ,government of ,ethiopia1 the ,government of ,eritrea1 and the ,,tplf to encourage the full cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of ,eritrean forces1 mitigate the humanitarian crisis that has emerged from the conflict1 and support an inclusive process of national dialogue and reconciliation2 7,b7 immediately establish criteria to end the pause of all non-life-sustaining assistance to ,ethiopia and support programming to meet immediate humanitarian needs1 including of refugees and internally displaced persons1 advance nonviolent conflict resolution and reconciliation1 and aid a democratic transition in ,ethiopia2 7,c7 ensure that the call made by ,secretary of ,state ,blinken on ,february #bg1 #bjba1 for a full1 independent1 international investigation into all reports of human rights violations1 abuses1 and atrocities committed in the course of the conflict is realized and impose strict accountability measures on those found responsible2 7,d7 take all possible diplomatic steps to prevent further ethnic-based violence and mass atrocities1 including by non-state armed groups1 in ,ethiopia2 and 7,e7 maintain close coordination with international allies and multilateral organizations regarding efforts to address the conflict in the ,tigray ,region and bring attention to the conflict in international fora1 including the ,united ,nations ,security ,council4