Diplomacy

US Lifts Ethiopia-Related National Emergency Sanctions Framework After Five Years

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US Lifts Ethiopia-Related National Emergency Sanctions Framework After Five Years
AI SUMMARY

The United States has allowed the national emergency framework underpinning Ethiopia-related sanctions to officially expire, resulting in the removal of several Eritrean entities and individuals from the SDN list.

  • Executive Order 14046, signed on September 17, 2021, has officially reached its terminal date after being extended in September 2025.
  • The Treasury Department's OFAC removed several Eritrean entities and individuals from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list.
  • Delisted entities include the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), the Eritrean Defense Forces, the Red Sea Trading Corporation, and Hidri Trust.
  • Eritrean nationals Hagos Gebrehiwot Woldekidan and Abraha Kassa Nemariam were also removed from the restricted registry.
  • Analysts emphasize that the delisting reflects the legal expiration of the executive order rather than a fundamental shift in U.S. policy toward Asmara.
  • The State Department concluded a restrictive policy blocking defense article sales to Ethiopian security forces in May 2026, transitioning to case-by-case licensing.
  • Proposals to formally remove Ethiopia from the ITAR restricted destinations list were advanced in September 2026.
  • The Department of Homeland Security terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Ethiopia effective August 18, 2026.
  • Separately, OFAC issued Russia-related General License 131J, extending authorization for Lukoil International GmbH transactions through October 22, 2026.