US President Donald Trump has announced an official change of policy towards Eritrea, introduced during the Biden administration.
To this effect the White House issued a letter to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, on 30 July, pointing out that Trump is “reversing the negative, harmful damage of the Biden Administration around the globe”.
President Afwerki was one of the first African leaders to send a letter of congratulations when Trump won the White House in November last year, expressing readiness to work with the new administration in Washington.
US administrations of the past regarded Eritrea as Africa’s North Korea where human rights had not flourished.
Since November 2021, the Biden White House had slapped sanctions on the Eritrean government and military over their alleged involvement in the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
President Trump said his administration is poised to ”re-establish a respectful and productive national relationship between the US and Eritrea based on honesty, respect, and opportunities to improve peace and prosperity across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea”.
WN/as/APA