This is a new milestone in US-Ethiopia relations. Washington has decided to impose sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials. First visa restrictions, then strong financial sanctions will follow, especially in the areas of security and financial assistance. The United States accuses officials of the two countries of failing to take significant steps to stop hostilities in the Tigray region, almost seven months after the start of the war. The Ethiopian government responded immediately.
as reported from Addis Ababa, Noé Rochet-Bodin
“The United States’ attempts to interfere in Ethiopia’s internal affairs are not only inappropriate but completely unacceptable.” The words of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry are strong, following the announcement from Washington, to financially sanction the country for its leadership of the war in Tigray.
Sanctions “unnecessary and counterproductive” add Addis Ababa, which assures that it has tried everything to cooperate with the Biden administration.
For US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, the Ethiopian government has failed to take significant action to stop the hostilities.
Washington will not only sanction Ethiopia bilaterally but will also pressure the IMF and the World Bank to freeze funding. A blow to Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Ethiopian economy, which is already over-indebted and whose rating has recently been downgraded by the Moody’s agency.
In the face of this treatment, which the country considers unfair, Ethiopia announces that it will be forced, no more and no less, than to reconsider its bilateral relations with the American giant.
This decision could jeopardize Ethiopia’s future. It is really the country in Africa that gets the most support from Washington with almost a billion dollars a year.
Read also: Tigray conflict in Ethiopia: Washington faces visa restrictions
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