Condemn the hate speech. A head of state stoking ethnic violence.

Re: Hate speech by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

Dear Sir or Madam,

On his visit on the 8th of May to Nekemte, a prominent city in Wollega, Oromia — where thousands of Amhara were massacred, expropriated, and forced out of various towns — the Prime Minister made a speech that stoked further atrocities against Amharas. The speech was a continuation of the false narrative that has put the Amhara in harm’s way for nearly 50 years. Wollega stands as a grim reminder of the bloodshed inflicted by Abiy’s forces, not only against the Amhara but also against the Oromo. His latest speech lays bare the sinister reality that the government entrusted with safeguarding the lives of its citizens is complicit in sowing seeds of hate and committing violence against its own people.

His hate speech may be the result of his frustration in the face of defeat against the Fano resistance fighters. Despite the Prime Minister’s boasts of military might and advanced weaponry, the resilience of the Fano resistance — buoyed by widespread public support and a just cause — remains unwavering. Instead of rethinking his policy, Abiy continues on the path of destruction, fanning the flames of hate and division and squandering meagre economic resources fighting his own people, first in Tigray and now in Amhara and Oromia. Countless lives have been lost in these internal conflicts, the purpose of which is nothing more than the megalomaniac wish of a tyrant and the plunder of the country by his sycophantic party and army officials.

The danger of hate speech based on false narratives coming from a Prime Minister poses a grave threat, potentially paving the way to further bloodshed and persecution on a mass scale. We ask all nations and organisations committed to peace, development, and stability to intervene and prevent a looming disaster. The removal of a tyrant whose actions risk plunging Ethiopia into the abyss of genocide is not just a moral imperative but a crucial step in safeguarding the stability of the entire Horn of Africa region.