WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that he decided to cut Ethiopia from the US Trade Program, set a road for sanctions against the African country for his failure to end the war that almost passed in the Tigray area which had caused “dirty violations.” Human rights.
Biden in a letter to the Congress said Ethiopia had not fulfilled the feasibility requirements to remain the recipient of African growth and opportunities.
This program provides free access to African countries in sub-Saharan to the United States in their conditions meet certain requirements, including removing obstacles to US trade and investment and making progress against political pluralism.
Biden also quote Guinea and Mali in the letter because of coming out of compliance.
The President said Ethiopia in “severe violations of human rights internationally recognized.” Sanctions began to apply to 1.
US trade representatives Katherine Tai said in a statement of office it would “provide each country with a clear benchmark for the path to recovery and administration we would work with them to achieve that goal.” The Ethiopian government, who did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the action of the White House, has lobbied openly to that step.
Announcement of Biden came when we horn African envoy Jeffrey Feltman told reporters that the parties in the conflict “not seen near” a ceasefire or talks and called humanitarian conditions in Tigray “was unacceptable.” The US and the United Nations said Ethiopian troops Has prevent truck trucks carrying food and other assistance.
Afternoon people have starved to death, the Associated Press has reported.
Biden signed the executive order in September which threatened to sanctions Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other leaders involved in the conflict that gripped the Tigray region if the steps did not immediately end up to reduce the 11-month war.
“Without question, the situation is getting worse, and frankly we become worried about the situation,” he said, referring not only to the Ethiopian government blockade in the Tigray region but Tigray forced pushing into neighboring areas of Amhara and far in the past four months, widening the humanitarian crisis .
In a comment last month in the domestic policy magazine, the Head of Ethiopian trade negotiator Mamo Mihretu wrote that “the young Ethiopian manufacturing sector can face existential threats” and “Agung Supreme Elimination will worsen the condition of ordinary Ethiopians who have no relationship with conflict Tigray.
“He said that under religion in 2000, Ethiopia exported goods worth” Minuscule USD 28 million to the United States; by 2020, that number rose about ten times and stands close to USD 300 million, almost half Under religion.
“He stressed that the elimination of Ethiopia from religion” will handle a serious blow to the welfare of millions of low-income workers.
” Ethiopia in recent years has one of the fastest growing African economies, but the war has stopped the momentum.
Only 13 percent of the Humanitarian Aid needed has entered Tigray in recent months due to the restrictions on the “intentional” government, some food distribution partners have been forced to suspend their jobs, and “the body has taken it because of hunger,” said Feelmanman.
“There is no government that can tolerate armed rebellion.
We get it,” he added, but said that no government must be “involved in mass starvation against citizens.” Feltman also warned that the US opposed every effort with Tigray’s forces to “surround” the capital Ethiopia After the fighters controlled the strategic cities of Dessie and Kombolcha in recent days, putting them in a position to drive the main highway towards the capital.
Feltman said Ethiopian officials in the retreat in Washington in June were warned that the relationship between Ethiopia with the US was at a crossroads.
That intersection, special envoy, said, “Is this behind us.” Mesfin Tegenu, Chair of the American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee, estimates the direct impact of around 200,000 lost jobs, most among low income female workers.
“On the name of one million members of the Ethiopian-American community, we call the administration to think again,” said Mesfin in a statement.
US to cut Ethiopia from trading programs for human rights
