US To Exempt Humanitarian, Development Efforts In Ethiopia From New Sanctions - Official

The new US sanctions program against Ethiopian and Eritrean parties involved in the conflict in the Tigray and Amhara regions will not affect humanitarian and commercial activities, a senior Biden administration official said

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2021) The new US sanctions program against Ethiopian and Eritrean parties involved in the conflict in the Tigray and Amhara regions will not affect humanitarian and commercial activities, a senior Biden administration official said.

"These sanctions authorities are not directed at the people of Ethiopia or Eritrea. The new sanctions program is deliberately calibrated to mitigate any undue harm to those already suffering from this conflict. In fact, Treasury will issue accompanying general licenses tomorrow to provide clear exemptions for any development, humanitarian, and other assistance efforts, as well as critical commercial activity in Ethiopia and Eritrea," the official said in a call on Thursday.

The licenses will authorize the continued flow of food, medicine, COVID-19 assistance, medical devices, and other critical humanitarian supplies to the impacted areas of Ethiopia, the official said.

However, less than 10 percent of needed humanitarian supplies sent to the areas have reached the impacted Tigray region in the last month due to obstruction by parties to the conflict, the official added.