{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-van-hollen-senate-democrats-press-pompeo-on-conflict-in-ethiopia", "Murphy, Van Hollen, Senate Democrats Press Pompeo On Conflict In EthiopiaRead More", "2020-11-19", "2020", "2020-11", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONU.S.\r\nSenator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and 14 of his senate colleagues joined a\r\nletter led by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressing their alarm at\r\nthe ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and urging U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo to\r\ndirectly engage with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. We write\r\nto express our alarm at the deteriorating political and humanitarian situation\r\nin Ethiopia. The conflict in Tigray poses serious risks to Ethiopia and the\r\nbroader region. We urge you to engage directly with Prime Minister Abiy and\r\ncontinue pressing all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the\r\nde-escalation of tensions, protection of civilians, humanitarian access, and\r\nrespect for international humanitarian law, the senators began. They\r\ncontinued: The\r\nconflict has already resulted in hundreds dead and thousands displaced. there\r\nis a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy\r\ncasualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself\r\nand across borders. The ongoing\r\nviolence is precipitating a humanitarian crisis. More than 27,000 refugees have\r\ncrossed over into Sudan, with as many as 200,000 expected. The conflict\r\nposes a direct threat to hundreds of American citizens, journalists, and aid\r\nworkers in the Tigray region and surrounding areas. We urge you to engage directly with\r\nPrime Minister Abiy and continue pressing all parties to agree to an immediate\r\nceasefire, the de-escalation of tensions, protection of civilians, humanitarian\r\naccess, and respect for international humanitarian law. Once a ceasefire is\r\nachieved, all parties must commit to addressing outstanding grievances through\r\na peaceful dialogue and work to stabilize Ethiopia's imperiled democratic\r\ntransition. the senators concluded. Joining\r\nMurphy and Van Hollen in sending the letter by Senators Cory Booker\r\n(D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.),\r\nTim Kaine (D-Va.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mark Warner\r\n(D-Va.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bob\r\nCasey (D-Pa.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Sherrod\r\nBrown (D-Ohio). The\r\nfull text of the letter is available here\r\nand below. Dear\r\nSecretary Pompeo: We write\r\nto express our alarm at the deteriorating political and humanitarian situation\r\nin Ethiopia. The conflict in Tigray poses serious risks to Ethiopia and the\r\nbroader region. We urge you to engage directly with Prime Minister Abiy and\r\ncontinue pressing all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the\r\nde-escalation of tensions, protection of civilians, humanitarian access, and\r\nrespect for international humanitarian law. Tensions\r\nbetween the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government,\r\nwhich had been escalating for months, erupted into military confrontation on\r\nNovember 4th, after the government alleged that TPLF fighters attacked an\r\nEthiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) position in Tigray. The conflict has\r\nalready resulted in hundreds dead and thousands displaced. Airports and roads\r\nhave been closed and phone and internet service to the Tigray region has been\r\ncut, leaving families disconnected from their loved ones and seriously\r\nhampering humanitarian response efforts. There is a shortage of fuel and some\r\nshopping and banking services have halted, creating a cash shortage. On\r\nNovember 13th, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that there\r\nis a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy\r\ncasualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself\r\nand across borders. Reports indicate that bombs have struck non-military\r\ntargets, including a hydroelectric dama charge the government denies. Amnesty\r\nInternational has confirmed that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were\r\nstabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the South West\r\nZone of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November, a massacre some\r\nwitnesses attributed to the TPLF, which has denied involvement. A report from\r\nReuters indicates that Ethiopian police visited an office of the United\r\nNations' World Food Programme (WFP) with a list of purported TPLF operatives\r\nembedded with various local and international organizations, raising concerns\r\nthat ethnic Tigrayans may be targeted by police. On\r\nNovember 14th, the conflict escalated further as media reported TPLF forces\r\nlaunched at least three rockets into Eritrea, striking the airport in capital\r\nof Asmara. The next day, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor\r\nNagy condemned the attack, describing it as an effort to internationalize the\r\nconflict. The\r\nongoing violence is precipitating a humanitarian crisis. More than 27,000\r\nrefugees have crossed over into Sudan, with as many as 200,000 expected. The\r\nUnited Nations is now working with the Government of Sudan to ensure that they\r\nare granted refugee status and to establish a new refugee camp to accommodate\r\nthem. The Sudan Red Crescent Society has deployed medical staff and essential\r\nmedicines, and is conducting screenings for COVID-19. The U.N. is also working\r\nto establish a humanitarian corridor in Ethiopia, but reports suggest that\r\nhumanitarian access to Tigray is currently constrained, with implications for\r\nover 2 million people in need of aid there, including over 90,000 Eritrean\r\nrefugees. The conflict poses a direct threat to hundreds of American citizens,\r\njournalists, and aid workers in the Tigray region and surrounding\r\nareas.  We\r\nappreciate your statements calling for de-escalation and the State Department's\r\nresponsiveness to inquiries from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We\r\nunderstand that the Department is engaged with the Government of Ethiopia, the\r\nTPLF, neighboring countries, the African Union, and the United Nations. We urge\r\nyou to engage directly with Prime Minister Abiy and continue pressing all\r\nparties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the de-escalation of tensions,\r\nprotection of civilians, humanitarian access, and respect for international\r\nhumanitarian law. Once a ceasefire is achieved, all parties must commit to\r\naddressing outstanding grievances through a peaceful dialogue and work to\r\nstabilize Ethiopia's imperiled democratic transition. Sincerely, ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-van-hollen-senate-democrats-press-pompeo-on-conflict-in-ethiopia"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4473898336291313, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}