The United States has lifted sanctions on Eritrea that were imposed in 2021 over its role in the Tigray war a conflict that killed at least 600,000 people. The State Department said the decision was made “to advance US regional interests.”
The sanctions expired because President Trump chose not to renew the national emergency. Removed from the blacklist: the Eritrean Defense Force, the ruling PFDJ party, the Red Sea Trading Corporation, the Hidri Trust and senior officials. Eritrea welcomed the move, calling the sanctions “unwarranted and damaging.”
The strategic context explains the timing. Eritrea’s Red Sea coastline sits opposite Saudi Arabia, and its southern coast and Assab port lie near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait the chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Turkey and Israel have expanded their Horn of Africa footprints through Somalia and Somaliland. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have deepened their Red Sea security and port involvement. Washington is now repositioning.
The signal is not about Eritrea’s human rights record. It is about Assab. The UAE established a major military base there in 2015 under a 30-year lease for the port and airport. Saudi Arabia is planning a military foothold at the same facility. Egypt has agreed to develop Assab and Doraleh to accommodate warships.