EU Foreign Affairs Council Urged to Not Agree to Declaration of Sanctions on Ethiopia

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EU Foreign Affairs Council Urged to Not Agree to Declaration of Sanctions on Ethiopia
EU Foreign Affairs Council Urged to Not Agree to Declaration of Sanctions on Ethiopia

Africa-PressEthiopia. Dutch citizens of Ethiopian origin have expressed their dismay on lack of understanding and fairness of the European Union (EU) about the current situation in Ethiopia.

“We have been following the EU MEPs debate on “the humanitarian situation in Tigray” (2021/2902 (RSP) that passed on 7 October, 2021 and are dismayed by the lack of understanding and fairness that the discussion have shown on the situation in Ethiopia,” Dutch citizens of Ethiopian origin said in a letter they sent to EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).

The EU has been generous in supporting the Ethiopian people. Sanctions will undo all the progress achieved, according of the letter.

The northern part of Ethiopia has already suffered a major setback due to the unnecessary destructions of hundreds of schools, clinics and other infrastructures, it added.

“We believe that the call for sanctions is based on the lack of proper understanding of the events and conflict that are taking place in Ethiopia. It is based on assumption that there is a blockade of humanitarian aid to Tigray by the Ethiopian government. That is however far from the truth”.

As persons of Ethiopian origin, the letter said “we follow the development in Ethiopia very closely. We know that EU humanitarian flight carrying food and medicine to Tigray region has been as recently as 7th October, 2021”.

The letter further added “some of us have some family members in the conflict area and we know very well that the humanitarian situation in Tigray and the northern part of Amhara and Afar regions is very serious”.

If the government which has broad support among the people is further isolated by the EU and USA, the conflict will drag on and the humanitarian situation will be aggravated, it was indicated.

Citing that repeated sanctions will be unproductive, it said “We as citizens or permanent residents of EU strongly believe that the EU is capable of and should play pioneering role in helping resolve the conflict in Ethiopia”.

“We strongly urge the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) to not agree to the declaration of sanctions,” the statement noted.

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