Biden prolongs sanctions on Ethiopia’s conflict in light of persistent instability in the Horn of Africa.
Biden Extends Sanctions on Ethiopia Amid Ongoing Instability
Mogadishu (AX) — U.S. President Joe Biden has chosen to prolong sanctions aimed at specific individuals and groups entangled in Ethiopia’s persistent conflict. This decision sustains a national emergency declaration originally set to lapse on September 17, 2024. The sanctions, established under Executive Order 14046, will stay in place for an additional year, as Biden seeks to confront what he deems a sustained threat to American national security and diplomatic interests.
On Thursday, the President issued a statement highlighting the instability rampant in northern Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa. He remarked, “The precarious situation in and around northern Ethiopia… constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat,” thereby underscoring the necessity of extending the sanctions first enacted in 2021.
The order empowers the U.S. government to enforce punitive measures against individuals and entities from Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and the Amhara regional government. These factions play crucial roles in the conflict, which saw a significant escalation during the Tigray War, leading to widespread displacement and dire humanitarian conditions.
The U.S. first implemented visa restrictions and economic sanctions in May 2021 when the violence escalated. Biden’s recent extension reflects persistent concerns regarding ongoing instability, despite a peace accord signed between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF in November 2022. While this agreement was seen as a glimmer of hope, fresh tensions erupted in the Amhara region, where conflict escalated due to government efforts to dismantle local insurgent groups, particularly the Fano militias.
This rebirth of violence has only complicated the Ethiopian government’s attempts to establish stability. The extension of the national emergency order will be formally published in the Federal Register and forwarded to Congress as part of the legal process necessary to uphold the sanctions for another year.
