The United States has lifted sanctions imposed on Eritrea’s ruling party and military by the Biden administration, according to the US Department of the Treasury.
The sanctions were imposed in 2021 over humanitarian and human rights concerns linked to the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, where Eritrean forces supported Ethiopian troops against fighters loyal to the regional government.
The conflict ended with a peace accord in November 2022.
In a statement issued Friday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said sanctions had also been removed from several Eritrean individuals, including Hagos Ghebrehiwet, a key financial official.
The state-owned Red Sea Trading Corporation was also removed from the sanctions list.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the sanctions had been unjustified and caused significant damage to the country.
“We welcome the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump Administration,” Gebremeskel told The Associated Press.
The lifting of the sanctions comes amid growing concerns over security in the Red Sea.
Recent advances by Houthi forces in Yemen have increased threats to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while Eritrea’s southern coastline and the port of Assab are located near the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.