Date June 20, 2018

The Honorable Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto

2100 C St. NW

Washington, DC 20418

Acting secretary, Bureau of African affairs

Dear Mr. Yamamoto

As an Ethiopian American community member, today WE URGE your Excellency to call for an immediate
action upon Ethiopian government on handling of millions displacement and killing of ‘Wolayta’ people in
SNNPR regional city Hawassa and its surrounding Cities.

This year on June 14, 2018, chaos erupted during Fiche Chamblala cultural Festival in Sidama region. The
Festivity is recognized by UNESCO as a good heritage of the regions about three years ago. However, this
festivity historically entices mass killings and slaughtering innocent neighboring ‘Wolayta’ people.

According to “Ethical Principles for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage Article(11), Cultural
diversity and the identities of communities, groups and individuals should be fully respected….”

However, the local government promoted violence and mass killings on ethnic ‘Wolayta’ people and never
involved in restoring peace. We had daily contact with our immediate family members, friends and relatives and
we have learned that as of today more than 250 people were killed and thousands of people displaced from their
homes. They are looking for an immediate humanitarian aid. Such impeccable incident occurred as Ethiopia is
in path of new era with very talented Prime Minister bringing rapid change to breakthrough the decayed tribal
and corrupted cadre’s sabotage, but they took this violence as a leverage to disrupt his success and destabilize
the country.

Therefore, WE as an Ethiopian community living in United States firmly condemn this evil act and urging your
Excellency to put pressure on the regime to execute the following requests:

1. Those responsible for this mass murdering and ethnic cleansing to be brought to justice.
2. We are asking to restore law in order and return all displaced people to their houses immediately without
any preconditions.
3. We demand federally recognized resolution between Wolayta and Sidama people assuring that in
Hawassa and other surrounding cities the right of living and working is not restricted and taken as
Sidama’s only privilege.
4. We demand UNESCO to revoke the recognition of the Fiche Chambalala heritage festival which is
promoting violence and reason for hundreds of Wolaytan’s death and displacement.
5. We demand the regional government to compensate for the victim’s property and loss of lives as they
are responsible and failed to protect the people.

Yours Sincerely,

Ethiopian American Community Co-coordinator in DMV.