US removes sanctions on Eritrean Defense Forces, Treasury website shows

The ​Trump administration lifted sanctions ​on Eritrean Defense ‌Forces and ​other entities in Eritrea on Friday 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. Reuters previously reported that Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was ⁠planning to remove the sanctions, citing an internal government document.

The administration ​of 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 neighboring Ethiopia, where Eritrean forces backed Ethiopian troops ⁠fighting regional authorities in the northern Tigray region. The Eritrean information and ⁠defense ⁠ministers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.