Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would also like to thank the committee members for inviting the Amhara voice to this hearing.
Speaking of the current situation in Ethiopia.... There is only one war conducted under the state of emergency, which is the war on the Amhara people that started in April 2023 and was launched in a coordinated manner by the Abiy regime; the Tigray People's Liberation Front, TPLF; and the Oromo Liberation Army, OLA, following the war in north Ethiopia.
For more than 13 months, the Abiy regime subjected the Amhara people throughout Ethiopia to an unlawful state of emergency and put them under siege. As a result, thousands have been arbitrarily killed; have been subjected to weaponized rape, collective punishment, hate speech and profiling; or have been arbitrarily imprisoned and held under cruel, inhumane and degrading conditions. Civilian infrastructure, as well as religious and cultural sites, have been deliberately targeted, including those protected as world heritage sites. The use of schools as military camps has forced over 4.1 million children out of school. Millions in need are not receiving humanitarian relief. In a clear violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that it signed on November 2, 2022, the TPLF has launched attacks in the Raya and Tselemt areas since April 12, 2024, committing ethnic cleansing where scores of civilians are killed and young children are burned alive.
The ethnic-based attacks have continued in Oromia region. On May 31, 2024, the Oromo Liberation Army militants killed and abducted Amhara civilians in the West Shewa zone. All these coordinated attacks by the Abiy regime, the TPLF and the OLA demonstrate a pattern of deliberate acts that have the hallmarks of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Considering the imminent existential threat, and after exhausting all peaceful venues in response to the ongoing genocide, the Amhara people had no other option but to exercise their human and legal rights to self-defence, led by the heroic Fano movement. The Amhara Fano represent a diverse cross-section of Amhara society, including farmers, business people, civil servants, medical doctors, engineers, university professors and school teachers. In less than a year, the Fano movement has gained control of 90% of the Amhara region, has established democratic interim administrations and has brought peace to areas under its control.
Here is our recommendation: We urge the Canadian government to explicitly condemn the Abiy regime for its atrocities against the Amhara people and take the following urgent measures.
One, demand that the Abiy army and TPLF forces leave the Amhara region immediately.
Two, demand the end of the telephone blackout, including of the Internet, in the Amhara region.
Three, allow aid organizations in the Amhara region to provide humanitarian assistance.
Four, pressure countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, to stop supplying weapons, including drones, to the Abiy regime.
Five, refrain from supporting the so-called national dialogue and transitional justice process promoted by the Abiy regime to prolong its stay in power and avoid accountability for the heinous crimes it committed.
Six, impose sanctions, including economic and diplomatic, against the Abiy regime.
Lastly, refrain from funding the Abiy regime, the TPLF and the OLA, directly or indirectly.
It is worth noting that, last month, the Canadian Minister of International Development, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, announced $14 million to support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. The TPLF proudly uses such funds to re-invade the Amhara region.
As Canadian citizens and taxpayers, the Amhara diaspora strongly opposes Canada's promoting double standards in its policy toward the Amhara people. Instead, we urge Canada to make a meaningful shift in its policy, to—