The United States has lifted sanctions imposed on Eritrea’s military, the country’s ruling party, and several Eritrean entities and officials who were blacklisted during the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Friday that the national emergency underpinning its Ethiopia-related sanctions program had ended. As a result, individuals and organizations designated under that authority have been removed from the sanctions list.
Among those delisted are the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF), the ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), the Red Sea Trading Corporation, and the Hidri Trust.
Also removed from the sanctions list are Hagos Ghebrehiwet W. Kidan, an economic adviser to the PFDJ, and Abraha Kassa Nemariam, whom Washington had previously identified as Eritrea’s national security chief.
The Treasury Department emphasized that the move does not alter the U.S. government’s previous assessments or allegations regarding reported abuses committed during the Tigray conflict.
Instead, the decision is tied specifically to the expiration of the national emergency declared through an executive order issued by President Joe Biden in September 2021.
The sanctions, first imposed in November 2021, froze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging to the targeted individuals and entities and generally prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from conducting business with them.
During the nearly two-year Tigray war, Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal military against Tigrayan forces.
At the time, Washington accused Eritrean military and government-linked institutions of contributing to the continuation of the conflict and alleged their involvement in killings, looting, sexual violence, and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance.
The sanctions formed part of a broader U.S. effort to pressure parties accused of fueling the conflict and committing human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
In March 2023, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that members of Eritrean, Ethiopian, Tigrayan, and Amhara forces had been responsible for war crimes during the conflict.
The U.S. also alleged that Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Amhara forces were involved in crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.
The removal of the sanctions comes as Washington reviews its broader policy toward the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson previously told Reuters that the Trump administration aims to promote peace and prosperity in the Horn of Africa and hopes to strengthen ties with the Eritrean government and people.
Eritrea’s strategic location along the Red Sea gives it significant importance in regional security and international trade. The Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait serve as critical shipping routes connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
Growing security concerns in the Red Sea in recent years, including attacks and regional tensions that have disrupted commercial shipping, have further elevated the region’s geopolitical importance.
Against this backdrop, the lifting of sanctions on Eritrea comes at a time when U.S. relations with countries in the Horn of Africa are increasingly shaped by regional security concerns, maritime trade interests, and political developments in Ethiopia and neighboring states.