The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military and three Eritrea-based individuals and entities for contributing to the violence in northern Ethiopia, which has undermined the stability and integrity of the state and resulted in a humanitarian disaster.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Eritrea’s destabilizing presence in Ethiopia is prolonging the conflict, posing a significant obstacle to a cessation of hostilities, and threatening the integrity of the Ethiopian state.
“The United States remains gravely concerned about the conduct of all parties to the conflict. Eritrean forces should immediately withdraw from Ethiopia,” he said in a statement.
His statement came after the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the Eritrean Defense Force, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), Abraha Kassa Nemariam, Hidri Trust, Hagos Ghebrehiwet W Kidan, and Red Sea Trading Corporation.
“The Treasury will continue to use all our tools and authorities to target and expose those whose actions prolong the crisis in the region, where hundreds of thousands are suffering,” said Director of the Office Andrea Gacki.
She added that parties to the conflict must come to the negotiating table without preconditions.
According to OFAC, the Eritrean force has been operating in northern Ethiopia amidst numerous reports of looting, sexual assault, killing civilians, and blocking humanitarian aid.
It added that the PFDJ, led by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, is the sole legal political party in Eritrea.
Isaias personally oversees the command and control of the Eritrean Defense Force, issuing orders directly to EDF generals, making him ultimately responsible for the EDF’s role in contributing to the crisis in northern Ethiopia, the Treasury said.
Blinken will make his first in-person trip to Africa as Secretary of State next week, which will include visits to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal.
The trip comes as the Biden administration expands diplomatic efforts to solve the crises in Ethiopia.
The State Department said Blinken will begin his trip in Nairobi, where he will meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta and Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo to discuss shared interests as members of the UN Security Council, and common desire to improve stability in East Africa, including by addressing regional security issues in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia.
