US Lifts Arms Embargo on Ethiopia

The United States government has officially lifted the arms embargo it had imposed on Ethiopia, effective September 8, 2019 (Ethiopian calendar). This decision follows the directive issued by the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. With this, Ethiopia is now permitted to import and export defense articles, services, and defense-related technology for its national defense, police, and security forces. Concurrently, the Trump administration has also lifted sanctions previously imposed on Eritrean institutions and individuals related to their involvement in the two-year war in northern Ethiopia.