United States Ends Ethiopia Arms Embargo and Initiates Expanded Defense Cooperation

On May 11 the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls announced that Washington had terminated the arms embargo imposed on Ethiopia in 2021. The policy shift removed the blanket denial of licenses for defense articles and services under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) Section 126.1, allowing future applications to be evaluated individually.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

The 2021 embargo was enacted as relations soured during the Tigray war, with the United States denying licenses for exports to Ethiopia’s armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and other security institutions. The restriction was codified in ITAR Section 126.1 and remained in place throughout the conflict. After the November 2022 Pretoria agreement ended major hostilities between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Addis Ababa and Washington began rebuilding diplomatic ties, including limited military training and counter-terrorism collaboration.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• May 11 – U.S. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls announces termination of the Ethiopia-specific ITAR denial policy.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• August 19–20 – Ethiopian delegation led by Major General Teshome Gemechu, Director General of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation, meets senior U.S. defense officials at the Pentagon.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• Post-August 20 – Both sides announce agreement to create a “comprehensive strategic cooperation” framework; details of the cooperation remain undisclosed.

Ethiopia, US Sign Defense and Security Partnership

• Major General Teshome Gemechu – Director General of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation, Ministry of Defense, Ethiopia; led the Ethiopian delegation to the Pentagon.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls – U.S. agency responsible for implementing the ITAR amendment that lifted the embargo.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• The embargo removal applies to all transactions governed by ITAR; individual licenses remain subject to U.S. export-control review.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• No public data indicate that any defense-export licenses have been approved since the policy change.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

• No specific weapons purchases, financing arrangements, or training programs were disclosed.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership

U.S. officials indicated that applications for regulated defense transactions involving Ethiopia can now be submitted for government consideration. The scope of future cooperation—whether it will include Foreign Military Sales, direct commercial defense sales, military financing, or expanded training—has not been detailed. Both governments have signaled an intent to move the bilateral defense relationship from “reactive crisis management” toward a “forward-looking strategic alliance,” but concrete implementation timelines remain pending.

U.S. Lifted Ethiopia Arms Embargo Months Before New Pentagon Defense Partnership