The United States has lifted sanctions on Eritrea, with the Department of State saying President Donald Trump had chosen not to renew the 2021 measure targeting the country on the strategic Red Sea, âÂÂto advance US regional interestsâÂÂ.
EritreaâÂÂs Horn of Africa location could be key amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, as the Red Sea has become a key oil shipping route with the Strait of Hormuz blocked.
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The administration of former US President Joe Biden imposed the sanctions in November 2021, which targeted the Eritrean forces and President Isaias AfwerkiâÂÂs party, the PeopleâÂÂs Front for Democracy and Justice, as well as other players in the state.
Eritrean troops were accused of committing atrocities during the conflict in EthiopiaâÂÂs Tigray region, in which they backed the Ethiopian federal army. The war ended in late 2022 with the signing of a peace deal between Addis Ababa and Tigray rebels.
âÂÂExpiredâ sanctions
The US sanctions had been renewed annually under a presidential declaration of a âÂÂnational emergencyâÂÂ, including last year by the Trump administration.
But on Friday, the US Treasury published a notice, saying the national emergency had âÂÂexpiredâÂÂ.
Eritrea welcomed the lifting of the sanctions, saying they had caused incalculable damage to the country.
âÂÂThe 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,â EritreaâÂÂs Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told the Reuters news agency.
The conflict killed at least 600,000 people and led to a significant humanitarian crisis. Several hundred thousand people remain displaced.
A State Department spokesperson told the AFP news agency that while the partiesâ implementation of the deal to end the war had been âÂÂunevenâÂÂ, the US felt it was âÂÂtime to adapt our foreign policy to current realities and collaboratively engage with both countries to advance US interestsâÂÂ.