US removes sanctions on Eritrea's ruling party and military

The United States has lifted sanctions targeting Eritrea's ruling party and military that were imposed by the Biden administration, the Treasury Department said, in a move welcomed by Asmara.

The restrictions were introduced in 2021 amid humanitarian and human rights concerns during the conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopian troops against fighters loyal to the Tigray regional government in a war that ended with a peace agreement in November 2022.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a Friday statement that sanctions had been removed from several Eritrean individuals, including Hagos Ghebrehiwet, a key financial official, as well as the state-owned Red Sea Trading Corporation.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the measures had been unjustified and had inflicted considerable damage on the country.

"In this respect, we welcome the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump Administration," Gebremeskel said.

The delisting comes as concerns grow over security in the Red Sea. Recent Houthi advances in Yemen have heightened threats to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic passage linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Eritrea's southern coast and the port of Assab lie close to the waterway.