A statement by Ethiopians Concerned for the Future of the Country and Survival of its Peoples
On August 24, 2025, a group of concerned Ethiopians from diverse sections of society, ideological persuasions, and varying levels of political engagement held a meeting in northern Virginia, the United States of America. We had a productive discussion on the existential threat currently facing our country and our compatriots. We exchanged ideas regarding the importance of a coordinated struggle to thwart the impending danger. Initiated by the participants in the meeting acting independently, the meeting emphasized the following four basic agendas.
1. Assessing the current situation in our country
After extensive discussion on this agenda, we arrived at a consensus that the regimes that have previously ruled Ethiopia did not represent a specific community or region. Similarly, the incumbent does not represent any one community of Ethiopian society. In reality, it stands as the exclusive preserve of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his minions. We are convinced that the regime’s divisive politics and militaristic tactics have never been seen in our history. The regime’s adoption of unrestrained violence as a governing method has reached such a catastrophic proportion that it now represents a mortal threat to our country and our compatriots. In a historical perspective, the current threat is so severe that no group of people in any region of the country can escape its grievous impact. If this threat to all is not quickly reversed through a collaborative and coordinated struggle, it will have calamitous consequences, including a civil war that can precipitate a violent collapse of the Ethiopian state.
Based on this assessment, we have come to believe that regime impunity and endless conflict must be ended. Only then could the situation allow for the establishment of a lasting peace and ensure our continued existence as a people. This outcome can occur only if we wage a struggle led by a clear purpose, principles for fostering cooperation among political organizations, and a relentless pursuit of clearly stated political objectives.
2. Bridging Divides for a Committed and Coordinated Struggle
During our discussion, it became clear that our society has become deeply divided and fragmented. These divides were engendered by differential interpretations and conceptions of our history; inaccurate categorization of ruling regimes based on the identity of the ruling elites; ideological and political differences; varying views on the efficacy of the tactics and strategies of the struggle; and justice-related issues concerning accountability for political crimes. There is no question that these differences are admittedly fundamental, and they deserve to be addressed.
However, given the gravity and existential danger facing our country and our people, they are not such urgent matters that require immediate resolution. Moreover, they cannot be easily addressed in the middle of a raging civil war and under tyrannical rule. Because some of the questions can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, others through transitional justice, and the rest through referendums and appropriate democratic processes at the proper time, they must not be allowed to be an obstacle to the pressing need for cooperation and coordination that the ongoing struggle requires.
Based on this understanding, we have agreed that drawing up a roadmap that will guide the struggle for our collective survival and pave the way for wide-ranging cooperation is a singular solution to overcome the current national predicament. We fully recognize that differences exist with respect to the choice of strategies a group makes to engage in a political struggle. Some political forces promote peaceful political action, and others engage in armed struggle. Either way, everyone fights for a common cause. Therefore, all sides are urged to take utmost responsibility for the safety and well-being of the country and its people, and to avoid working at cross purposes. Drawing appropriate lessons from the many aborted moments of change and hijacked transformative processes, all the forces in the arena must begin to work through consultation and cooperation in preparation for the post-Abiy dispensation and transition to a system that safeguards the interests of the people and the security of the country.
3. Preparing for a successful transition
Our discussion on this agenda showed us that the incumbent is a highly fragile regime engulfed by internal contradictions. So far, it has sustained itself in power through the corrupt practices of distributing political office and economic benefits. It could collapse and disintegrate unexpectedly under the weight of its own internal contradictions. It cannot continue to withstand the popular challenge for much too long in such a weakened state. While we continue our effort to bring about regime change through peaceful popular resistance, we understand that it is a responsibility to prepare a political transition roadmap that can ensure the continued existence of the country and survival of the people after the fall of the regime.
4. Continuing the initiative with better organization and strengthened procedures
We have agreed that our self-selected group, which began with this first meeting, should expand its representation and contribution by including representatives of civic associations, community organizations, and political parties, and transition into a broad-based organized body in the near future. A five-member ad hoc coordinating committee has been established to bring this aspiration into fruition. Our discussion has underscored that it is necessary to quickly mobilize
and strengthen the struggle of the people on the ground to hasten the demise of despotism and the achievement of victory. While it is certainly appropriate and encouraging for various political forces to show initiative to fight together, we maintain that it is necessary and urgent to foster an environment of camaraderie and collaboration to unify the hitherto disparate efforts and minimize the chances of splintering and a zero-sum competition among the opponents of the regime.
A Call to Action
Finally, we call on all political forces to rise above their differences and make the struggle for our collective survival their highest priority. Above all, we implore the Ethiopian people, the primary stakeholders of the resistance, to give their full support to the struggle for survival. We urge the international community to understand the fact that the incumbent regime is a criminal enterprise that has lost its legitimacy and instead stand with the just struggle of the people. We take this opportunity to call on the country’s security forces to realize that their continued engagement in committing abductions and massacres against the people as accomplices to the regime’s illegal militaristic mission is not appropriate, sustainable, or viable. We stress that the time is now for them to align their efforts with the interests and security of the Ethiopian people.
Ethiopians Concerned for the Future of the Country and Survival of its Peoples
August 24, 2025
Crystal City, Virginia, United States of America
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