On September 17, declaring the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia a national security threat to the United States, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order authorising sanctions on the Ethiopian government, the Eritrean government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and several other entities the US government deems to be contributing to the conflict.Furthermore, the Biden administration suspended Ethiopia’s trade privileges from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) – which came into effect in 2000 and allows duty-free imports of selected products from the continent – signifying the deterioration of the relationship between the US and Ethiopia.Home to Africa’s second-largest population and located in the volatile Horn of Africa, Ethiopia’s stability is critical to the security and stability of the continent and the strategic Red Sea region, through which cargo ships carrying merchandise accounting for more than 10 percent of the global trade pass. Its military forces, one of the most powerful in Africa, have played a critical role in the fight against the hardline group al-Shabab in neighbouring Somalia. Ethiopia’s troops also contributed to many other important UN peacekeeping missions across the continent, including those in Sudan and Rwanda. Until the outbreak of the ongoing conflict, Ethiopia was one of the closest allies of the US in Africa. Thus, Washington’s efforts to bring an end to the war in Ethiopia are both understandable and judicious.
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