Africa-Press. The United States intends to lift sanctions on Eritrea amid rising tensions in the Red Sea that are reshaping alliances, according to a U.S. government document.
Analysts attribute this decision to Eritrea’s strategic location on the shipping route in the Red Sea. This U.S. move aims to improve relations with Eritrea, which has a long coastline along the Red Sea opposite Saudi Arabia, and to send a message to neighboring Ethiopia not to engage in war with its arch-rival in the Horn of Africa.
The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, near Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, have highlighted the importance of controlling the Red Sea, a major trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and Asia. However, the Horn of Africa is experiencing instability due to the war in Sudan, tensions in Somalia, and fears of conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The U.S.-based organization “Freedom House,” which focuses on human rights, has classified Eritrea, the reclusive state, as one of the most repressive countries in the world, on par with North Korea, describing it as a militarized authoritarian state and noting that it has not held national elections since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions in 2021 on the ruling party and military in Eritrea, as well as on senior Eritrean officials, for their role in a war that erupted in neighboring Ethiopia, where Eritrean forces supported Ethiopian troops fighting local authorities in the northern Tigray region.
An internal government document, a memo sent by the U.S. State Department to several countries, stated that the United States would revoke an executive order signed by Biden imposing sanctions “on or around May 4.” Relations between the two countries have been strained for decades, even before the sanctions were imposed.
According to Reuters, it is still unclear when the announcement regarding the lifting of sanctions will be made, and neither the U.S. State Department nor the U.S. Treasury responded immediately to requests for comment, nor did the Eritrean Minister of Information, Yemane Ghebremeskel, or the press secretary for the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Billene Seyoum.
United Nations experts and human rights advocates have accused Eritrea of committing serious human rights violations under the 30-year rule of President Isaias Afwerki, including indefinite conscription of unmarried men and women into military or government service since its border war with Ethiopia. Officials in Asmara routinely deny these allegations.
The Ethiopia conflict between 2020 and 2022 resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions, with the United Nations accusing Eritrean forces of committing numerous violations, including summary executions, abductions, and the disappearance of Eritrean refugees there.
Eritrea denied for months that it had deployed troops in Tigray to support Ethiopian forces but later acknowledged its presence while denying responsibility for any violations. The 2021 sanctions were comprehensive, targeting the Eritrean military, its ruling political party, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, the head of the Eritrean National Security Office, and others.
However, the U.S.-Iranian war has severely disrupted oil supplies from and through the region, making Eritrea an influential player in the conflict. “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means the Red Sea will become a more contentious area, and this may indicate that the United States will pay greater attention to the region,” said Murithi Mutiga, Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group.
Eritrea and Ethiopia share a bitter history of disputes, having fought long wars before signing a peace agreement in 2018. Since the end of the Tigray war, tensions have returned between the two countries, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed publicly stating that his country has the right to access the sea. Eritrea has widely interpreted these statements as a threat of military action.
Regional diplomats say the U.S. move will also send a message to Ethiopia, the landlocked country, that Washington does not support any coercive attempts to gain access to the sea.
The U.S. government memo stated: “We have repeatedly informed Ethiopia of our opposition to any attempt to seize the sea by force,” adding that both countries have been warned about the “destabilizing roles” they play in each other’s countries.
