Ethiopia: An Overview

Ethiopia: An Overview

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August 19, 2014
Ethiopia: An Overview
Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country and
its oldest independent state. The United States considers
the Ethiopian government to be an important development
and regional security partner, but also a source of concern
regarding human rights and democracy. Good relations with
the United States are rooted in cooperation on efforts to
counter terrorism and respond to instability in the volatile
Horn of Africa region, and on shared efforts to alleviate
Ethiopia’s endemic poverty. The country has been plagued
by frequent drought and chronic food insecurity and is one
of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign aid, primarily in the
form of health, food, and humanitarian assistance.
Ethiopia plays a key leadership role in the region and on
with spearheading the economic reforms that have made
the continent. It hosts the African Union (AU) and
Ethiopia one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, despite
contributes significant numbers of troops to U.N.
its relative lack of natural resources. However, as leader of
peacekeeping operations. Ethiopian peacekeepers play a
both the EPRDF, an alliance of four ethno-regional parties,
critical role along the volatile Sudan-South Sudan border
and one of its components, the Tigrayan Peoples’
and in the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Liberation Front (TPLF), he also was accused by critics of
Ethiopia, which currently leads the East Africa regional
stifling dissent and securing the continued dominance of his
body known as the Intergovernmental Authority on
minority Tigrayan ethnic group in the government.
Development (IGAD), hosts various peace negotiations,
including the ongoing dialogue between the governments of
Current Political Issues
Sudan and South Sudan and talks between Sudan and its
armed opposition. Ethiopia is the lead mediator between the
Hailemariam Desalegn (deh-sah-LEEN) became Prime
opposing sides of South Sudan’s civil war. Ethiopian forces
Minister in 2012, after Meles’ death. As a Protestant, he
also play a major role in efforts to counter the Al Qaeda-
is Ethiopia’s first non-Ethiopian-Orthodox head of state,
linked terrorist group Al Shabaab in Somalia.
and is from one of the country’s smaller ethnic groups, the
Wolayta. Hailemariam was also elected chairman of the
Background
EPRDF coalition. In October 2013, the EPRDF-dominated
parliament elected Mulatu Teshome Wirtu as President, a
Ethiopia is one of only two African countries to have
largely ceremonial post.
avoided colonial rule, and the diplomatic relationship
between the United States and Ethiopia dates back more
Despite regular elections, Ethiopia’s tradition of
than one hundred years. In the past century, Ethiopia’s
authoritarian rule continues to impede participatory
politics have been largely dominated by three leaders.
democracy. The EPRDF has dominated successive
Emperor Haile Selassie ruled from 1930 to 1974, when he
elections since 1995. Elections in 2005—in which the
was deposed by a socialist military junta known as the
opposition had been expected to make significant gains—
Derg. The Derg was accused of massive human rights
were marred by violence, as the government responded to
abuses (dubbed the “Red Terror”), and of ignoring a famine
post-election protests by detaining thousands of opposition
that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. An army
members, journalists, and civic activists. An estimated 200
officer, Mengistu Haile Mariam, became head of state at the
people were reportedly killed by security forces during the
helm of the Derg in 1977. In 1989, several ethnically-based
protests, and top opposition leaders were put on trial. The
opposition groups merged to form the Ethiopian Peoples’
disputed elections led to a broader tightening of democratic
Revolutionary Front (EPRDF), and in 1991 they overthrew
space as the EPRDF reconsolidated control. Opposition
the Derg and Mengistu, who fled to Zimbabwe, where he
parties boycotted local and by-elections held in 2008. The
remains in exile. The EPRDF allowed Eritreans to vote on
most recent elections, held in 2010, were generally peaceful
secession, a key demand of the Eritrean faction of the anti-
but the electoral environment did not meet international
Derg struggle, leading to Eritrean independence in 1993.
standards of fairness, according to U.S. and European
election monitoring groups and governments.
EPRDF leader Meles Zenawi served as President of
Ethiopia and then as Prime Minister from 1991 until his
Critics contend that the EPRDF has stifled dissent
death in 2012. He was considered a powerful figure in
through laws and electoral regulations that give the
Ethiopian and regional politics. Meles was widely credited
coalition a significant advantage. Two laws enacted in
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Ethiopia: An Overview
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2009 have heightened international concern about the
The economy is predominately driven by agriculture,
government’s intentions with respect to democracy. The
which composes almost half of GDP and 85% of total
“Charities and Societies Proclamation” created stringent
employment. Coffee is the largest export. The government
reporting requirements and government oversight for civil
has sought to transform the economy by engaging in several
society organizations, including by limiting foreign funding
controversial projects to lease large swaths of agricultural
and prohibiting anonymous donations. Another law, the
land to foreign investors and create new infrastructure for
“Anti-Terrorism Proclamation,” has been criticized for its
electricity production. The government argues that the land
expansive definition of terrorism, harsh penalties, flexible
leases bring in critical foreign investment and large-scale
rules for evidence, and the broad legal authority it grants to
agricultural production that will spur economic growth and
police and security forces. Opposition leaders, activists, and
improve living standards. However, such leases have also
journalists have been imprisoned on national security
resulted in the displacement of Ethiopian farmers and their
charges, amid concerns of torture and ill-treatment in
families. Officially, the relocations are under a separate,
Ethiopian detention facilities.
nominally voluntary program known as “villagization,”
through which the state seeks to better serve the health,
There has been a growing current of anti-government
education, and infrastructure needs of rural populations by
protests by Ethiopian Muslims, who make up about a
grouping them close together. Human rights groups contend
third of the population, in response to perceived
that the displacements are forced and are driven by the
government interference in Muslim religious affairs in
commercial value of the land.
recent years. The government has responded by detaining
protestors and charging some under the anti-terrorism law.
Concerns have also been raised about forced relocations
and potential negative environmental impacts related to
Security Concerns
hydroelectric projects, notably the Gibe III and the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance dams. The latter, expected to be
Instability in neighboring Somalia has contributed to
completed in 2017, would be Africa’s largest power project
Ethiopia’s security concerns, and Ethiopia has
and, the Ethiopian government argues, will enable Ethiopia
repeatedly intervened there militarily. Ethiopian troops
to sell excess electricity to its neighbors, strengthening
deployed to Somalia in 2006 to oust a network of Islamist
regional development. The dam has been a source of
court militias that had seized control of Mogadishu. This
contention with Egypt, which argues that the dam could
led to a prolonged military engagement against one of the
divert a critical water supply on which Egypt relies.
militias, Al Shabaab, and other insurgents. Ethiopian forces
officially pulled out in early 2009 after the U.N.-mandated
U.S. Policy and Foreign Assistance
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was
established, but periodic Ethiopian military incursions
Given regional volatility, Ethiopia’s size, and its
continued, and Ethiopia has reportedly provided support to
susceptibility to food insecurity, the United States has
Somali armed factions. Ethiopia joined AMISOM in
identified Ethiopia’s stability and prosperity as key
January 2014.
priorities for U.S. engagement. According to the State
Department, the three pillars of the bilateral relationship are
Aside from Somalia, the Ethiopian government’s main
economic growth and development; democracy, governance
strategic concern is its antagonistic relationship with
and human rights; and regional peace and security.
Eritrea, which seceded from Ethiopia in 1993. The two
However, little U.S. aid is provided for democracy
countries fought a border war in the late 1990s, and parts of
promotion, and U.S. concerns about Ethiopian restrictions
the border remain in dispute. Both governments have
on political and human rights complicate diplomatic
accused one another of backing rebels in their respective
engagement and security cooperation. Congress, while
countries. Ethiopia also faces several simmering
appropriating funding for Ethiopia’s sizable aid package,
domestic insurgencies, including in the Ogaden area near
which is one of the largest in Africa, has conditioned some
the Somali border, which has a significant population of
security assistance based on such concerns.
ethnic Somalis. The security forces have been accused of
committing serious human rights abuses in the context of
Bilateral aid, most of it directed to development, global
their counterinsurgency efforts in the region.
health, and food aid programs, totaled almost $620
million in FY2013. Food aid alone in FY2014 has totaled
The Economy
almost $173 million to date. The State Department’s
request for $482 million for FY2015 does not include food
Ethiopia’s economy has grown on average over 10% per
aid, which is allocated during the year according to need.
year in the past decade, almost double the regional
The Obama Administration’s Feed the Future initiative
average. Yet its per capita income remains among the
supports Ethiopia’s food security strategy to reduce hunger,
world’s lowest and its population suffers from severe
improve nutrition, and promote broad-based economic
cyclical droughts. The government faces an array of
growth. Ethiopia is also a participant in U.S. regional
structural challenges, including a growing “youth bulge”
programs to counter terrorism and promote African
and high unemployment. Ethiopia’s development
peacekeeping deployments.
indicators—which include high rates of birth and infant
mortality, low literacy levels, and a short life expectancy—
Lauren Ploch Blanchard, lploch@crs.loc.gov, 7-7640
are poor, although improving.

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