An Ethiopian-born American citizen working as a US government contractor has admitted to transmitting highly classified intelligence to Ethiopian officials, including satellite imagery and military details he believed would assist in targeting and eliminating Tigray fighters during the nation's devastating 2020-22 civil war. According to BBC News, Abraham Teklu Lemma pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit national defence information to a foreign government, facing up to 22 years in prison under his plea agreement. The conflict he sought to influence killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions across the country.
Lemma, 54, worked as a contractor at the State Department, Justice Department and National Reconnaissance Office—the agency overseeing US intelligence satellites. Between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023, he systematically removed classified material from secure government facilities, sometimes transcribing sensitive information into handwritten notes that he carried out of buildings. Leveraging his position as an IT administrator, he extracted electronic intelligence files and transmitted them to senior figures in Ethiopia's political, military and intelligence establishments through encrypted messages.
According to the US Department of Justice, Lemma held a Top Secret clearance, and the material he transmitted included information classified up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information. Court documents indicate that at least 85 intelligence reports were copied during one period, with investigators alleging he removed classification markings and duplicated materials onto CDs and DVDs. The information shared encompassed satellite imagery and details of military activities directly related to the armed conflict in Ethiopia.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated:
In doing so, he betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security.John Eisenberg, the US assistant attorney general for national security, added:
Lemma betrayed the United States to an extraordinary degree.
The FBI confirmed that Ethiopian officials subsequently deployed the intelligence supplied by Lemma in military operations. In correspondence from December 2021, Lemma wrote to an Ethiopian official:
We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia.Later that same day, he transmitted additional intelligence and urged the official:
Please send Dro[nes].When the official requested continued assistance, Lemma responded:
Roger that!
How did the conflict escalate after the ceasefire?
A peace agreement signed in November 2022 initially ended the conflict, but fighting resumed in September 2026 after both sides accused each other of violating the agreement's terms. Internet and phone services were disrupted in Tigray following the outbreak of fighting between regional forces and the federal army, with the state-owned telecom operator cutting services completely. The renewed fighting triggered reports of forced recruitment of boys as young as 15 by armed groups, creating a severe humanitarian emergency. Ethiopia's federal government and the TPLF escalated military confrontation, with Tigray declaring a defensive war after seizing airports, while a new seven-group anti-government coalition emerged aiming to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
What atrocities occurred during the original conflict?
The 2020-22 civil war was marked by widespread allegations of atrocities. A UN commission documented mass killings, sexual violence, and conflict-related displacement in Tigray, including renewed fighting from August to November 2022. The conflict resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people across the region, making it one of the world's deadliest recent conflicts.
What are the legal consequences?
Lemma was arrested in Maryland in August 2023 following an investigation into his handling of classified intelligence. Prosecutors alleged that he had removed security markings from intelligence reports and shared information with foreign intelligence officials. His guilty plea to conspiring to transmit national defence information to a foreign government remains subject to court acceptance. Senior Judge John D. Bates has scheduled Lemma's sentencing for 14 April 2027, at which time he could face the maximum 22-year prison sentence.
Pirro emphasized that Lemma had abused his access to some of America's most sensitive intelligence, stating he would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The case exposes how sensitive American intelligence was passed to Ethiopian authorities during a devastating conflict marked by widespread human rights violations and mass casualties.
