Ethiopia Accuses US of Meddling After Sanctions over Tigray Atrocities

Ethiopia

NAIROBI (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia has on Monday accused the United States of meddling in its internal affairs, just hours after Washington announced targeted sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses committed during the conflict in Tigray region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the restrictions were aimed to press for resolution of conflict in the northern Ethiopian region.

Washington halted security and economic assistance to Ethiopia, and also imposed sanctions on officials complicit in Tigray atrocities due to Addis Ababa’s handling of the crisis in the war-wrecked region.

On Monday, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said if the US restriction continued, it “will be forced to reassess its relations with the United States, which might have implications beyond our bilateral relationship”.

Ethiopia has thousands of troops serving African Union peacekeeping missions in the neighboring countries of Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia. It also a key US partner in the fight against the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab which controls vast swathes of territory in south and central Somalia.

“The attempt by the US administration to meddle in [Ethiopia’s] internal affairs, is not only inappropriate but also completely unacceptable,” the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.

“What is even more saddening is the tendency by the US administration to treat the Ethiopian government on an equal footing with the TPLF, which was designated as a terrorist organisation… two weeks ago.”

Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com