By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United States President, Donald Trump on Friday lifted sanctions on Eritrean Defence Forces and other entities in Eritrea in a move analysts have said could boost US ties to the African nation, given its strategic location along the Red Sea shipping route.
The move, announced in a notice posted on the Department of Treasury’s website, comes amid the ongoing and expanding war in the Middle East and renewed focus on the Red Sea where Eritrea’s coastline is opposite Saudi Arabia.
Trump’s administration had earlier hinted on plans to remove the sanctions, an internal government document shows.
Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden had imposed sanctions in 2021 against Eritrea’s ruling party and military as well as senior Eritrean officials for their role in a war in neighbouring Ethiopia, where Eritrean forces backed Ethiopian troops fighting regional authorities in the northern Tigray region.
The Eritrean information and defence ministers were yet to make official response on the matter.
