U.S. President Joe Biden has extended sanctions against individuals and groups involved in Ethiopia’s conflict, continuing the national emergency declared under Executive Order 14046. Initially signed in September 2021, the executive order was set to expire on September 17, 2024, but Biden renewed it for another year, citing continued threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
The White House emphasized that despite a 2022 peace agreement, instability in northern Ethiopia remains a serious concern. This situation, described as “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to regional stability, continues to affect U.S. interests in the Horn of Africa.
The sanctions target officials from the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and Amhara regional leaders, first imposed due to violence during the Tigray war. Although a peace deal was reached in November 2022, renewed fighting in Amhara persists.
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These sanctions also affect Ethiopia’s trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which previously allowed the country to export goods duty-free to the U.S., generating over $100 million annually.
