Biden extends sanctions on Ethiopia’s conflict amid ongoing instability in the Horn of Africa

Biden extends sanctions on Ethiopia’s conflict amid ongoing instability in the Horn of Africa

Source: Hiiraan Online, Monday September 9, 2024


FILE – President Joe Biden signs the Emergency Reparation Assistance for Returning Americans Act, Tuesday, August 31, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Mogadishu (HOL) — U.S. President Joe Biden has extended sanctions targeting individuals and groups involved in Ethiopia’s ongoing conflict, continuing a national emergency order that was set to expire on September 17, 2024. The sanctions, authorized under Executive Order 14046, will remain in effect for another year, following Biden’s decision to address what he described as an ongoing threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

In a statement released Thursday, Biden said the instability in northern Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa region continues to threaten regional peace and security. “The situation in and in relation to northern Ethiopia… poses an unusual and extraordinary threat,” Biden stated, reinforcing the need to maintain the sanctions initially imposed in 2021.

The order grants the U.S. government authority to impose punitive measures on individuals and entities from Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and the Amhara regional government. These groups were identified as key players in the conflict that escalated during the Tigray War, which devastated the region and resulted in mass displacement and humanitarian crises.

The U.S. previously imposed visa restrictions and economic sanctions in May 2021, targeting officials from both Ethiopia and Eritrea as the violence worsened. Biden’s latest extension underscores concerns over the ongoing instability despite a peace agreement signed between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF in November 2022.

Although the peace deal marked a step forward, tensions quickly flared in the Amhara region, where conflict has intensified over the government’s attempts to disband local insurgent groups, particularly Fano militias. The resurgence of violence has further strained the Ethiopian government’s efforts to stabilize the country.

The extension of the national emergency order will be officially published in the Federal Register and sent to Congress as part of the legal process to maintain sanctions for another year.