Eritrea Condemns New US Sanctions on Its Military
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The United States has sanctioned Eritrea's military and some other Eritrea-based personnel over their support for the Ethiopian government in the Tigray conflict - and Eritrea has deemed it "illicit and immoral."
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Eritrea's Sawa military parade in 2019.
The US government imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military and individuals based in the African country, where the Eritrean Ministry of Information called the action an extension of Washington's "misguided and hostile policy."
The sanctions allegedly came as a result of Eritrea's military support for the Ethiopian government.
"This unilateral sanction, that shifts blame to and scapegoats Eritrea on the basis of spurious allegations, is in contravention of international law, and constitutes a flagrant breach of... sovereignty," the Eritrean ministry of information said in a statement.
According to said ministry, the main aim of the imposed sanctions - deemed "illicit and immoral" - was to inflict suffering and starvation on the Eritrean people, which has only led to civil and political instability in other countries encountering US sanctions.
The war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Ethiopian forces sparked up a year ago, in November 2020. Eritrea, assisting the government's operations, sent troops and tanks to the war.
The US Treasury Department blacklisted Eritrea's military, its ruling political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice; the party's economic adviser; and the head of the Eritrean national security office, accusing them of adding fuel to the fire in the Ethiopian conflict.
The Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs affirmed today its support for Eritrea: The country asked the US to revoke the sanctions, arguing that Eritrea has not been an obstructing factor for peace and stability, rather pointing its finger to the TPLF, which should be sanctioned instead.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also threatened to impose sanctions against both Abiy Ahmed's government and the TPLF unless they negotiate, warning that Ethiopia risks "implosion" if fighting continues.
"We are not imposing sanctions at this time on elements aligned with the government of Ethiopia and TPLF to allow time and space to see if these talks can make progress," Blinken said.
UN calls for a ceasefire
The United Nations Security Council called Friday for a ceasefire in Ethiopia, expressing its "deep concern" over the intensification of fighting in the north of the North African country.
"The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the expansion and intensification of military clashes in northern Ethiopia," the UN body said in a joint statement.
The fight has escalated in Ethiopia's north after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) announced it joined Oromo forces to fight government forces, threatening to advance toward Addis Ababa. The Oromos are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, and this alliance was very significant for the TPLF.
