Ethiopia, human rights, and the internet

No African issue has absorbed as much time in the early months of the Biden administration as has the ongoing tragedy in Ethiopia’s Tigray province. President Biden was forceful and correct in calling for an end to the “large-scale human rights abuses” occurring in Tigray. Now, the administration is stuck in the tough position of considering sanctions that would cut off funding to the country, most prominently a $500 million investment by the US Development Finance Corporation (USDFC) which enabled the Vodafone Group Plc to win a new mobile phone license issued by the Ethiopian government. This could risk further delegitimizing and destabilizing the already fragile nation.

Even though Ethiopia is the second-most populous in Africa, its 110 million people are among the most digitally isolated on the continent. In addition to driving skills development and job creation among Ethiopia’s large youth population, the internet will be a vital tool for enhancing transparency and accountability, especially as it concerns elections and human rights. The recent instances where the Ethiopian government has tried to block internet usage, not only related to the violence in Tigray but in 2020 after the killing of the activist singer Hachalu Hundessa and in 2019 following an alleged coup attempt in the Amhara region, underscore the importance of having networks not controlled by the government. It would be a mistake for the Biden administration to cancel this financing. 

[Witney Schneidman is a Nonresident Fellow of the Global Economy and Development Program and the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings.]