US lifts sanctions on Eritrean Defense Forces
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on the Eritrean Defense Forces and other Eritrean entities, a decision analysts say could strengthen US relations with the strategically located Red Sea nation.
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The action, announced Friday in a notice on the Department of Treasury’s website, was welcomed by Eritrea’s government. It comes as the war in the Middle East has widened and international focus has intensified on the Red Sea, whose shipping route runs along Eritrea’s coastline opposite Saudi Arabia.
Reuters reported earlier that Republican US President Donald Trump’s administration was preparing to revoke the sanctions, citing an internal government document.
In 2021, Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, imposed sanctions on Eritrea’s ruling party, military and senior officials over their involvement in the war in neighboring Ethiopia. Eritrean forces supported Ethiopian troops battling regional authorities in the northern Tigray region.
Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea’s information minister, told Reuters that the sanctions had inflicted incalculable harm on the country.
“The unilateral sanctions imposed by the Biden Administration five years ago were not warranted by any metrics… In this respect, we welcome the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump Administration,” he said.
