U.S. Prepared to Sanction Those Ferrying Weapons in Ethiopia

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): There was an executive order issued by the president, President Biden, dealing with the threat of sanctions against those responsible. The chairman — and I’m the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee. We have issued a statement calling upon the Biden administration to issue the sanctions moving forward. I think the latest reporting by CNN, actually well done, by the way, to uncover the fact that the Ethiopian government’s using their airline to transport military weapons to Eritrea, which is a neighboring country, and becoming an ally of the government of Ethiopia against Tigrayan population, I think to put all this in context, Bianna, it’s important to note this could be one of the worst famines to take place in the 21st century. The Ethiopian government has basically blocked off 90 percent of supply trucks going into Tigray. It’s also they have harassed aid workers, and they have expelled seven United Nations workers. So this thing is increasing. And it’s a crisis level, not decreasing since the cease-fire, and I think it calls for action with the administration.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA: Well, Ethiopia, as you know, is on the receiving end of millions of dollars worth of trade benefits from the United States. The U.S. trade representative said that she would be willing to look at that deal now and act upon it, given these allegations and what we have even just reported, these gruesome videos that we have been covering for years, thanks to — for months, thanks to Nima’s reporting Do you think that, in fact, we should be reevaluating our trade agreements?

MCCAUL: I do. I do. And I think there’s a lot of blame to go around. The Tigrayans initially starting to fight back against the government. I think, interestingly, the prime minister got the Nobel Peace Prize, of all things, in his cease-fire with the neighboring country of Eritrea. And now he’s one of the grossest violations of potentially war crimes in what he’s doing today. And so this latest reporting is very valuable to policy-makers in terms of what’s happening on the ground. And I think what is unfolding, again, I hearken back to the days when I was growing up as a younger high school student when we saw the famine in Ethiopia. I think this could be far worse.

GOLODRYGA: Right.

MCCAUL: And it could involve millions of people facing death by starvation.