Eritrea slammed the United States on Saturday for slapping new sanctions on the country over the deadly conflict in neighboring Ethiopia, calling the move “illicit and immoral”.
The US measures announced on Friday came in response to Eritrea’s decision to send troops into Ethiopia’s Tigray region to back Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group.
Eritrean and Ethiopian forces have been accused of carrying out mass rapes and massacres in Tigray and Washington has repeatedly urged Asmara to pull out of Ethiopia.
On Saturday Eritrea said the sanctions reflected a “misguided and hostile policy” by the US, and were based on false allegations.
“This unilateral sanction, that shifts blame to and scapegoats Eritrea on the basis of spurious allegations, is in contravention of international law, and constitutes a flagrant breach of… sovereignty,” the ministry of information said in a statement.
“That the primary aim of the illicit and immoral sanctions is to inculcate suffering and starvation on the population so as to induce political unrest and instability is patently clear.”
The sanctions target the Eritrean Defense Force and President Isaias Afwerki’s political party, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, as well as other players in the closed authoritarian state.
The US has warned that Ethiopia risks “implosion” without a negotiated settlement, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatening to impose sanctions against Abiy’s government and the rebels unless they move forward on talks.
