1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to express concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable people in Ethiopia's Tigray region. I am particularly alarmed by the reported upcoming termination of emergency food assistance through the Joint Emergency Operation Program (JEOP), a State Department-funded program that supports millions of people throughout Ethiopia facing acute hunger due to conflict and drought. Nearly four years after the Pretoria Agreement that ended the 2020-2022 war in Tigray, close to a million Tigrayans remain displaced. In 2023, the State Department determined that these IDPs are victims of ethnic cleansing that took place in Western Tigray during the war. The United States helped broker and serves as a guarantor of the Pretoria Agreement, which calls for the safe return of displaced persons and the withdrawal of the forces responsible for their expulsion. Yet families remain unable to return home due to continued occupation, insecurity, and credible threats to their safety. Additionally, the Trump Administration has repeatedly pledged to continue life-saving humanitarian assistance. However, ending JEOP risks a humanitarian catastrophe that will result in many lives lost and further instability in the region. I respectfully urge Congress to support continued life-saving humanitarian assistance through JEOP and to press for full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement, including the withdrawal of non-ENDF forces from Tigray, the safe and voluntary return of refugees and IDPs, and a credible justice process for war crimes. Congress should also request regular State Department reporting on Pretoria implementation benchmarks and support independent monitoring of human rights conditions to help prevent renewed conflict. As the anchor state in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia's stability remains important to U.S. interests. Continued American leadership is critical to advancing peace, humanitarian protection, and lasting stability in the region. Thank you for your consideration. Source: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/protect-humanitarian-aid-and-support-peace-in-tigray