That the House of Representatives—
calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and end to violence throughout the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;
calls on the Government of Ethiopia and the Government of the State of Eritrea to fulfill its commitment to immediately and fully withdraw Eritrean Defense Forces from Ethiopia;
condemns in the strongest terms any human rights violations, murder, looting, rape, and other crimes committed by Ethiopian forces, the Eritrean military, or any other forces in the Tigray Region or elsewhere in Ethiopia;
strongly disapproves of the escalation of political tensions between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) into armed conflict;
calls for full and unfettered access for humanitarian operations and for journalists and diplomats seeking access to affected areas throughout Tigray and elsewhere in Ethiopia;
calls for the swift and complete restoration of lifesaving medical services, as well as electricity, banking, telephone, and internet services throughout the Tigray Region and other parts of Ethiopia where communications have been restricted;
supports the joint investigation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on human rights violations in the Tigray region;
appreciates the willingness of Sudan to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict in the Tigray Region;
urges the Government of Ethiopia to—
take tangible steps toward improving humanitarian access in keeping with commitments made to the United Nations World Food Programme and Secretary of State Antony Blinken;
pursue accountability for human rights abuses and atrocities; and
make progress on pursuing a political solution in advance of the planned elections in 2021 and other key issues with regard to the conflict in the Tigray Region and threats to regional stability;
calls on the Government of Ethiopia to—
ensure that any apprehensions of belligerents in the conflict are carried out with the least possible use of force and that the rights to which those detained are entitled under Ethiopian and international law are fully respected;
release all opposition leaders, supporters, and activists detained on the basis of their political activity and views as well as journalists detained on the basis of their reporting, and respect the rights of freedom of expression of all Ethiopians and political participation, without discrimination based on ethnicity, ideology, or political affiliation; and
convene a credible and countrywide process of national dialogue and reconciliation inclusive of all nonviolent political parties, ethnic communities, religious groups, and civil society organizations in Ethiopia to work toward the sustainable resolution of grievances and chart a democratic and peaceful path forward for the country;
urges all parties to the conflict to—
cease all hostilities, commit to a political solution for resolving existing differences, fully comply with international humanitarian law, and refrain from actions that could continue, spread, or escalate the conflict, particularly attacks on civilian targets;
make demonstrable progress to guarantee unfettered and immediate humanitarian access, for personnel and supplies, to areas affected by the conflict, and take all possible steps to protect the safety of civilians, including refugees, displaced persons, and humanitarian aid workers; and
allow for, and cooperate with, independent and transparent investigations of any alleged human rights abuses committed in the course of the conflict in the Tigray Region and other conflicts across Ethiopia, and hold all perpetrators to account in a credible process; and
urges the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to—
engage at the highest levels with the Government of Ethiopia, the Government of the State of Eritrea, the TPLF, and other parties to the conflict to encourage the immediate and full cessation of hostilities, and the full withdrawal of all Eritrean forces, mitigate the humanitarian crisis in the region, and support an inclusive process of national dialogue and reconciliation in Ethiopia;
maintain close coordination with international allies and multilateral organizations regarding efforts to address the conflict in the Tigray Region and other regions of Ethiopia, and bring attention to the conflict in international fora, including the United Nations Security Council;
immediately establish criteria to end the pause of all remaining nonlife-sustaining assistance to Ethiopia and continue to support programming to meet immediate humanitarian needs, including of refugees and internally displaced persons, advance nonviolent conflict resolution and reconciliation throughout the country, and aid a democratic transition in Ethiopia;
as appropriate, use all diplomatic, developmental, and legal tools to prevent further ethnic-based violence and mass atrocities, including by nonstate armed groups, and promote competitive multiparty democracy in Ethiopia;
continue to take actions that, according to Secretary of State Blinken on February 27, 2021, ensure a “full, independent, international investigation into all reports of human rights violations, abuses, and atrocities” committed in the course of the conflict;
urgently determine whether atrocities committed in Tigray amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity; and
based on the investigations, impose targeted sanctions and accountability measures on those found responsible for committing human rights abuses and atrocities.