Story perspectives

U.S. Removes Eritrea Sanctions After Tigray Emergency Ends

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 2:28 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. lifts sanctions on Eritrea's military, ruling party, and entities on September 18, 2026.
OFAC removed the Eritrean Defense Forces, Red Sea Trading Corp, Hidri Trust, and Hagos Ghebrehiwet.
Sanctions imposed in November 2021 over Tigray human-rights concerns expired after the emergency ended September 17, 2021.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the sanctions were unwarranted, caused damage, and welcomed their removal.

History

Historical Context

On September 18 2026 the United States removed the Eritrean Defense Forces, Red Sea Trading Corp, Hidri Trust and Hagos Ghebrehiwet from the OFAC list, ending 2021 sanctions tied to the Tigray conflict. The action echoes the September 20 2004 termination of Libya’s embargo after Muammar Gaddafi renounced weapons of mass destruction, which freed $1.5 billion in assets. Both cases show a U.S. trend toward targeted diplomatic relief.

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Story summary

U.S. lifts sanctions on Eritrea's military, ruling party, and entities on September 18, 2026.
OFAC removed the Eritrean Defense Forces, Red Sea Trading Corp, Hidri Trust, and Hagos Ghebrehiwet.
Sanctions imposed in November 2021 over Tigray human-rights concerns expired after the emergency ended September 17, 2021.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the sanctions were unwarranted, caused damage, and welcomed their removal.

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