 decided to reject the invitation to engage with the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC)){kind=link}
ECNAS
PRESS RELEASE
The Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support (ECNAS) announces that, after careful deliberation, its Board has decided to reject the invitation to engage with the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC). This decision reflects ECNAS’s commitment to principled and meaningful dialogue—one grounded in transparency, independence, and
accountability—conditions which the ENDC has demonstrably failed to meet. While ECNAS remains dedicated to the principles of sustainable peace, justice, reconciliation, and healing, it cannot endorse or participate in a process that fundamentally lacks credibility, transparency, and moral integrity.
Key Concerns
1. Exclusion of Key Stakeholders
The ENDC has most notably failed to engage with primary actors in ongoing conflicts—most urgently in the Amhara and Oromia regions—thereby seriously undermining its credibility as a national dialogue platform. Millions are facing displacement, atrocities, and the collapse of essential services, yet the voices of those most affected remain entirely sidelined.
2. Lack of Independence and Integrity
From the selection of ENDC’s commissioners to its public engagements, the ENDC is widely
viewed as a politically aligned entity with the federal government. This perceived alignment raises serious doubts about its impartiality. With its integrity compromised, the ENDC cannot be trusted to manage its critical mandate in a neutral or credible manner.
3. Failure to Address Atrocities
The ENDC has remained silent on mass killings, airstrikes, and systemic repression, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, effectively disregarding the suffering of entire communities. This lack of acknowledgment suggests that such suffering is seen as negotiable or expendable. The continued failure to recognize widespread atrocities, along with the ongoing detention of prominent political figures, journalists, and independent voices, underscores the ENDC’s inability—or unwillingness—to serve as a credible intermediary. This further erodes public trust in the Commission’s role as a tool for reconciliation.
4. Repression of Civic and Media Space
Independent media, political representatives, religious leaders, and members of the civil society (essential partners in any credible dialogue) have been silenced, intimidated, jailed, or criminalized. This repression makes inclusive, good-faith engagement impossible.
5. Premature and Performative Timing
Initiating dialogue while active conflicts still persisting risks deepening polarization. Without confidence-building measures, such as ceasefires, prisoner releases, and independent monitoring, the process cannot be viewed as a genuine path to reconciliation.
The national dialogue initiative is unfolding at a time of widespread public dissatisfaction and disillusionment, fueled by unaddressed government-led atrocities, ongoing repression, and a severe breakdown in trust between the state and its citizens. The ENDC’s attempts to engage the diaspora, without addressing these urgent realities, highlight its failure to fulfill its core mandate: facilitating reconciliation and promoting accountability. By neglecting to confront state abuses, ensure the inclusion of affected communities, and protect civic and media spaces, the Commission risks staging a performative dialogue that leaves the root causes of conflict unaddressed.
Closing Statement
ECNAS stands unwavering in its commitment to justice and accountability. It will not legitimize a process that ignores victims, silences dissent, and shields perpetrators from scrutiny. Instead, ECNAS will intensify its advocacy with international partners, grassroot movements, and affected communities to demand an immediate halt to atrocities, the unconditional release of political prisoners, and the establishment of a truly independent and transparent framework for dialogue.
Ethiopia is at a breaking point – genuine reconciliation cannot wait.
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1). ኢትዮጵያ ለኢትዮጵያውያን :- ስለ ኢትዮጵያ የመናገር መብት – ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የሚኖሩት ኢትዮጵያውያን ብቻ መሆን አለበት። ለምንድነው – ውጪ ሐገር በውጭ ሐገር ዜጋነት ለሚኖሩት ‘ትውልደ-ኢትዮጵያውያን’ – የኢትዮጵያ ጉዳይ ውስጥ ጣልቃ መግባት የሚፈቀደው? የሚወሰነው ውሳኔ የሚጎዳው – ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የሚኖሩት ኢትዮጵያውያን ሕይወት አይደሉም ወይ?
2). “ጅብ – የማያውቁት ሐገር ኼዶ – ቁርበት አንጥፉልኝ” ይላል አሉ:- እናንተ [‘ENCAS’] – የENDCን ጥሪ ተቀበላችሁ/አልተቀበላችሁ ወይም ኼዳችሁ/ቀራችሁ – ኢትዮጵያ ምን ይቀርባታል? እንድያውም – እንደ እናንተ አይነቱ ከኢትዮጵያ ውጪ በመሆኑ – ኢትዮጵያ ዕድለኛ ናት! ለኢትዮጵያ አዛኝ እና ተቆርቋሪ መስላችሁ – ኢትዮጵያን ከውጭ እየወጋችኋት አይደለም ወይ?
3). The ‘Ethiopian Diaspora [ED]’: 60% of ED are members/beneficiaries of former regimes. About 20% are scholarship awardees for loyalty/service to those regimes. About 10% left due to lack of job opportunities. The rest 10% are the REAL REFUGEES [victims of the regimes]. So, ≥80% of ED have NOTHING to offer Ethiopia. They only want to return to power & rule Ethiopia again!
It goes ‘its Board has decided to reject the invitation to engage with the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC)’. Very sad indeed. Has the board openly and properly consulted members of the Ethiopian community in Canada? By what authority is the board came to this decision? Dialogue among countrymen/women should never be shunned.
We know a single Abie is behind the Commission so what is wrong the Board representing Ethiopians in Toronto? The board legally has representation of the Association. Abie is exposed once again.
Dear Manny,
I don’t usually respond to comments but since I found yours reaction to be civil, I decided to do so.
My question to you is this. Who is this ‘Abie’ you mentioned in your comment? Is he a member of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) or a resident in Canada? Since I read your comment, I located the website of ENDC and did not find any member by that name. Some of them have their educational and professional background in English and some one was kind enough to translate those posted in Amharic. They are all well educated and don’t need to bow down to make a living. They can put their intellectual horsepower on the market globally and they will not be in the market for too long.
Going back to my comment about the outright rejection of the invitation by the board of the ECNAS, I’m still adamant about the board’s decision. This is not haggling for a better price for the head of a goat at Merkato in Addis/Finfinne. It has to do with the existence of that gem of the colored called Ethiopia. Did the board call for a general house hall gathering of the Ethiopian community in Canada and have a pow wow on the invitation and received an authorization before rejecting the invitation? If they did not, then that should be considered an outreach. I searched ECNAS on Google and it does not even have a working website(ecnas.ca/) and all it shows is ‘Coming Soon!’ for several days. That is happening in this day and age.
We also should remember that all expenses for dialogue commission’s trip is paid by the tax money of those poor people we all left behind and we should all make worth it. We should go to the meeting give them ear full in civilized ways sans slurs and name calling.
Dear countryman,
I am saying this just because during my Allah Blessed long life I have seen it all. I have witnessed many organizations in which I rested my hopes come and go without a trace on their own accord because their leaders’ emotion had the best of them. I’m hell-bent adherent for peaceful forms of struggle for rights. Barrels of the gun never led to a democratic governance in our country since 1974 or the entire Africa, Asia and Latin America since the 1960’s for that matter. What such violent and bloody struggle did has been removing one despotic regime just to replace it with another similar or even worse dictatorship. I don’t need to give you examples because all you have to do is look around just in that part of Africa with the exception of that gem of the neighborhood. Somaliland and Ethiopia is not Somaliland in its making. Somaliland is monoethnic with manageable inter-clan system. Puntland is similar but the rest of Somalia is like the Wild West with its difficult to manage inter clan structure. In Ethiopia if you want to harm a group of people other than yours in Wellega, all you have to do is hold your holy book high and tell your clan their decades and even centuries old neighbors are ‘settlers’ and they have their own region. Then you will see bloodbath unseen before while you bust the move with your holy dancing.
I really think the Board should have not turned down the invitation outright like this. It is an opportunity that should never be missed.
Blessings to all of you countrymen/women in Canada.
Dear Ittu, Thank you for the response. Abie is the PM of Ethiopia who wants to dictate everything that happens in the County. As someone who oppose fake processes I still agree with the Ethiopian Community Board in Toronto not to engage with the so called dialogue Commission whose purpose is to legitimize Abie’s dictatorship. If the dialogue was genuine it could have been completed by now by engaging the Country’s Political elite at home. There is no hidden agenda in Ethiopia. What is required is to tame once lust for power and advance the wishes of the majority which can now be represented by the elites and later ratified by genuine election.
Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission is a hoax. ENDC is another tool that Abiy Ahmed is using to extend the life of the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system. The EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system is at its peak and must be replaced with a new system, or it will regress and causes destruction. Abiy’s delusional grandeur is already causing the death of millions of Amharas. What can solve Ethiopia’s problem is a new constitution. The regime of Abiy Ahmed must be replaced with a transitional government. The primary mission of the transitional government is to prepare a new constitution for Ethiopia. Ethiopia needs a federal system similar to that of the USA. The transitional government must request economic and military assistance from the USA. If agreed, the USA need to send American troops as advisors to assist the transitional government. The existing Police force must continue its duties during and after the transitional government. Ethiopia’s National Defense Forces must be replaced. Bloodshed cannot buy loyalty.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia must be governed by the principles of human rights.
– The new constitution must guarantee justice, human rights, civil rights, and private ownership of land.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia needs to be restructured and modeled after the USA federal system.
– In the new constitution, member states to the new Ethiopian federation must use Amharic and their local language equally without any discrimination and limitations as working languages of their state.
– In the new constitution, Ethnic based political organizations must be prohibited by law.
– In the new constitution, Oromo and Tigrian politicians must be prohibited by law from participating in any separatist activities globally.
– The new constitution must guarantee private ownership of land.