Arag9105

To @SecRubio, @StateDept, @RepBrianFitz, @HouseForeignGOP, and the United States Congress: Reuters reports that Ethiopia has received 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and plans to acquire four S-400 air-defense batteries. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has not disclosed the purchase price. xitter.cf/ReutersAfrica/status/2… As an Ethiopian-American taxpayer, I am calling for congressional scrutiny of these transactions and the financial safeguards surrounding U.S. assistance to Ethiopia. Consider the numbers: • 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets: approximately $996 million–$1.02 billion, based on comparable export-package estimates of $83–85 million per aircraft. • Four Russian S-400 air-defense batteries: additional undisclosed costs. • U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia in FY2025: $852.1 million obligated and approximately $919.8 million disbursed. The estimated value of the fighter jets alone exceeds the amount of U.S. assistance obligated to Ethiopia in FY2025. These figures do not prove that U.S. assistance purchased Russian weapons. But they raise serious questions about government spending priorities, aid oversight, and whether international assistance indirectly frees domestic resources for military procurement. Congress should investigate: 1. What is the actual cost of Ethiopia's Russian military acquisitions, and who financed them? 2. Could U.S. assistance indirectly enable military spending through budgetary substitution? 3. Do these transactions warrant examination under CAATSA? 4. What safeguards ensure American assistance reaches its intended beneficiaries? 5. Why are advanced weapons being acquired while civilians remain vulnerable to repeated massacres? And there is a question that goes beyond financial accountability. Who killed the innocent Orthodox Christians? Who armed the perpetrators? Who gave the orders? Who protected them? Since 2018, repeated attacks against civilians have raised grave questions about the responsibility of Ethiopia's federal and regional authorities. Any credible investigation must examine allegations of state complicity and follow the evidence through the chain of command. Secretary Rubio and Congressman Fitzpatrick, I ask for meaningful congressional oversight of these military transactions, American foreign assistance, and the Ethiopian government's response to atrocities against civilians. Follow the money. Follow the weapons. Follow the chain of command. American taxpayers deserve transparency. Ethiopian victims deserve justice. We are documenting victims whose stories have gone unheard: voices.ktinsight.com/ @SecRubio @StateDept @RepBrianFitz @HouseForeignGOP @USEmbassyAddis #Ethiopia #OrthodoxChristians #ReligiousPersecution #TaxpayerAccountability