US Ends Sanctions on Eritrea’s Military, Ruling Party
US Ends Sanctions on Eritrea’s Military, Ruling Party
Anonymous
Key Points
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The African Union estimated that the Tigray conflict may have killed as many as 600,000 people, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis linked to the sanctions.
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The Red Sea Trading Corporation was described as controlling much of Eritrea’s trade with the outside world; Hagos Ghebrehiwet was identified as both an economic adviser to President Isaias Afwerki and the company’s chief executive.
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The sanctions removal comes against a backdrop of shifting regional alliances: Ethiopia has moved closer to the UAE and Israel, while Eritrea supports Sudan’s army alongside Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
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The latest tensions follow the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace agreement, which ended the post-1998–2000 border-war stalemate; that earlier conflict caused roughly 100,000 deaths, according to the Spanish-language report.
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Ethiopia accused Eritrea in October of the previous year of working with a Tigrayan faction to launch a new war, illustrating how the former wartime partnership has continued to deteriorate after the 2020–2022 conflict.
The United States has lifted sanctions on Eritrea's military and ruling party, ending a punishment program imposed in 2021 over the country's role in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict. Al Jazeera reports the Treasury Department removed the Eritrean Defence Forces, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice, and several senior officials and companies from its sanctions blacklist. The decision comes as Washington prioritizes Red Sea security and regional alliances shift.
The Tigray war, which lasted from 2020 to 2022, killed an estimated 600,000 people according to the African Union, making it one of the deadliest recent conflicts. The Frontier Post notes the sanctions had targeted actors accused of contributing to the conflict and enabling atrocities. The removal reflects changing US priorities in the Horn of Africa region.
A Conflict That Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The Tigray war erupted in 2020 between Ethiopia's federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Al Jazeera reports Eritrea's military played a major role in the fighting despite official denials. The African Union estimated the death toll at 600,000 people. Millions more faced starvation as fighters blocked humanitarian aid.
The US imposed sanctions in 2021 on Eritrean military leaders and officials like Hagos Ghebrehiwet Kidan, who served as both an economic adviser to President Isaias Afwerki and chief executive of the Red Sea Trading Corporation. Citizen Digital notes this corporation controlled much of Eritrea's trade with the outside world. The sanctions targeted those accused of obstructing peace efforts.
US Strategic Interests Now Override Past Concerns
Al Jazeera reports the US lifted the sanctions to advance American regional interests in the Red Sea, a critical shipping route. The decision signals Washington's shift toward viewing Eritrea as a strategic partner rather than a sanctions target. Eritrea sits on the Red Sea coast and controls key maritime chokepoints.
The move reflects broader realignment in the Horn of Africa. Benin Web TV notes Ethiopia has grown closer to the UAE and Israel, while Eritrea backs Sudan's army alongside Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. These shifting alliances shape how the US weighs its interests in the region.
Ethiopia and Eritrea's Fragile Peace Continues to Crack
A 2018 peace agreement ended decades of border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea that had killed roughly 100,000 people. But cooperation between the former rivals was always fragile. When the Tigray war began in 2020, they fought together against the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
That partnership fell apart. The Frontier Post reports Ethiopia accused Eritrea in October of working with Tigrayan factions to launch fresh attacks. The deterioration shows how quickly regional alliances can shift. The sanctions removal will likely complicate efforts to rebuild trust between the two countries.
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