US Lifts Eritrea Sanctions as Washington Signals Regional Engagement

The United States has lifted sanctions on Eritrea after President Donald Trump declined to renew a measure introduced in 2021 against the country’s governing party, military and other state actors.

The US Department of State said the decision was taken “to advance US regional interests”. The Department of the Treasury separately said the national emergency underpinning the sanctions had expired.

The sanctions were imposed by the administration of former President Joe Biden in November 2021. They targeted Eritrean forces, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice — the party of President Isaias Afwerki — and other state actors.

Eritrea welcomes decision

Eritrea welcomed the lifting of the sanctions. Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the restrictions imposed by the Biden administration “were not warranted by any metrics” and welcomed what he described as “the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump administration”.

The sanctions were introduced during the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where Eritrean forces supported Ethiopia’s federal army. Eritrean troops were accused of committing atrocities during the war.

The conflict ended in late 2022 with a peace agreement between Addis Ababa and Tigray rebels. The war killed at least 600,000 people and left several hundred thousand displaced.

Washington seeks closer engagement

A US State Department spokesperson said Washington believed it was time to adapt its foreign policy to current realities and engage collaboratively with both Ethiopia and Eritrea to advance US interests.

The spokesperson described implementation of the agreement that ended the Tigray war as “uneven”.

The decision comes as Eritrea’s position in the Horn of Africa remains strategically significant in the wider Red Sea region. The surrounding area includes major shipping routes and developments involving Yemen and the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The State Department’s explanation places the decision within a broader effort to pursue US regional interests and maintain engagement with both countries. The Treasury notice said the national emergency connected to the sanctions had “expired”.