Democracy Under Threat in Ethiopia

The conditions in Ethiopia are troubling for democracy and human rights. The Ethiopian government is a prime U.S. ally on the continent. Ethiopia is a primary contributor to peacekeeping missions along the South Sudan border, in South Sudan, and in Somalia. Ethiopia joined the U.N. Security Council in January and is one of the three African members of the Council, along with Senegal and Egypt. Ethiopian officials acknowledge that the tense situation in their country is at least partly the government's fault. There have been discussions with opposition parties with respect to changing the electoral system to use proportional representation, which could increase the chances of opposition parties winning parliamentary and local races. In late 2016, the government released an estimated 10,000 prisoners despite maintaining a state of emergency. However, there are at least 10,000 more people held in jail who are considered political prisoners and the government continues to arrest and imprison critics of its actions. Many have not been provided due process. The people of Ethiopia cannot exercise their rights of speech, assembly, and association. Journalists have been sentenced to prison terms for inciting what was said to be extremist ideology and planning to overthrow the government. Until the Government of Ethiopia faces the consequences of its actions, there will not be the genuine reform that it has promised.