The Biden administration this morning has sanctioned four Ethiopian/Eritrean entities and two individuals under the recent executive order for causing strife and humanitarian suffering in the Tigray region. The Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) have been sanctioned, as were a few others.
According to the Treasury press release, The People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), led by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, is the sole legal political party in Eritrea and the president personally oversees the command and control of the EDF, issuing orders directly to EDF generals, making him ultimately responsible for the EDF’s role in contributing to the crisis in northern Ethiopia. I noticed he is not sanctioned, probably because Treasury generally tries to avoid sanctioning heads of state.
Since the Biden Administration has been emphasizing multilateral actions, this probably means EU sanctions will be coming down the pike shortly, since the EU indicated this week that the block is ready to start issuing sanctions as the crisis worsens.
Earlier this week, roughly 70 UN aid drivers were arrested in Ethiopia, and 16 local UN staffers were arrested in Addis Ababa.
I’m expecting the UN Security Council to also take some action.