19th July 2021
Anthony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.
Dear Secretary Blinken,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That the Biden administration immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Senator Robert Menendez
Chairman, United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator Menedez,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Senator James Risch
Ranking Member, United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator Risch,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Congressman Gregory Meeks
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Congressman Meeks,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Congresswoman Karen Bass
Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Congresswoman Bass,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Congressman Michael McCaul
Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Congressman McCaul,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Congressman Chris Smith
Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Congressman Smith,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Senator Chris Van Hollen
Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator Van Hollen,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
Senator Mike Rounds
Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator Rounds,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That Congress immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the U.S. impose sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the U.S. demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC
19th July 2021
António Guterres
Secretary General
United Nations
New York City
Dear Secretary General Guterres,
As the Executive Chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC), I write to urge public condemnation and concrete action regarding the abhorrent use of child soldiers by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.
Images of the TPLF providing arms and weapons training to children have been widely distributed on social media channels and reported in Ethiopian press outlets. Then, this week, the photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly was in Ethiopia reporting for the New York Times. His images have confirmed this horrific story.
On his Instagram page he posted:
“On multiple occasions, I saw Tigrayan children carrying weapons. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children into armed forces or groups constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.”
I have included a copy of the images that accompanied his post.
Together with our thirteen partner organizations, AEPAC represents a great percentage of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States, totaling approximately 1.2 million. Collectively, we make three urgent requests:
• That the United Nations immediately condemn the TPLF by name for the use of child soldiers, acknowledging that it constitutes an international war crime.
• That the United Nations encourages its members to consider sanctions on the TPLF’s leadership to compel the rebel group to end its practice of arming children.
• And that the United Nations demand that the TPLF and all combatants also adopt an unconditional ceasefire similar to the Ethiopian government as the necessary first step to stem the humanitarian crisis and create a path toward political dialogue.
These images of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia being exploited for war demand condemnation and action. We urge you to lead.
Yours sincerely,
Mesfin Tegenu
Chairman
AEPAC