US lifts sanctions on Eritrea
Sanctions removed on September 19, 2026, targeted the ruling party's financial and military apparatus.
The United States removed sanctions on Eritrea on September 19, 2026. These sanctions were imposed in 2021 due to Eritrea’s involvement in the Tigray War. The US government had outlined plans to lift the sanctions four months prior, according to a Reuters report.
Human rights groups criticized the decision, citing Eritrea's record of forced labor and torture under the ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Eritrea's government called the sanctions 'illicit and immoral' and claimed they caused 'incalculable damage' and constrained development.
The removed sanctions targeted the PFDJ’s financial and military bodies and two officials, Abraha Kassa and Hagos Gebrehiwet. The Eritrean Defence Force’s chief of staff, Filipos Woldeyohannes, remains under separate sanctions. The PFDJ has previously benefited from the removal of UN sanctions in 2018, remaining self-sufficient.
Why it mattersEritrea's ruling party and officials benefit from the removal of US sanctions, not the impoverished population.