Agoa.info - African Growth and Opportunity Act
TRALAC - Trade Law Centre
You are here: Home/News/Article/State Secretary Blinken praises Ethiopia on Tigray peace, no return to trade programme yet

State Secretary Blinken praises Ethiopia on Tigray peace, no return to trade programme yet

Published date:
Monday, 13 March 2023
Author:
Estelle Shirbon and Hereward Holland
Source:

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Ethiopia on Wednesday for its progress in implementing a peace deal to end the Tigray conflict, but stopped short of ushering the country back into a U.S. trade programme.

Visiting Ethiopia to repair relations that were strained by the two-year war in the northern region, Blinken met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and discussed ongoing efforts to solidify peace, restore basic services and address humanitarian needs.

The Ethiopian government and forces from Tigray signed a ceasefire in November, ending a conflict that killed tens of thousands of people, left hundreds of thousands facing hunger and displaced millions.

The U.S. government restricted economic and security assistance to Ethiopia during the war and cut access to the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a duty-free trade programme that had been a boon for the country's textile sector.

"Certainly we share the aspiration of Ethiopia returning to AGOA," Blinken told reporters after his meetings with Abiy and other government figures, adding that "it's moving in the right direction" as Ethiopia continues to implement the peace accord.

He said Ethiopia had been given clear benchmarks and Washington would continue to work with the government in Addis to achieve the goal.

"We have agreed to strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between our countries with a commitment to partnership," Abiy said on Twitter after the meeting.

Blinken also met on Wednesday with Ethiopia's National Security Advisor Redwan Hussein and the spokesperson of the rebellious forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Getachew Reda, the State Department said. The parties acknowledged the progress but agreed "much work remains to fully implement" the ceasefire agreement.

The two sides also discussed the need for the establishment of a Tigrayan interim administration as key to maintaining positive momentum, the statement said.

During a visit to a United Nations logistics warehouse, Blinken announced $331 million in new humanitarian aid to Ethiopia, saying this would provide life-saving support for people affected by conflict, drought and food insecurity.

His visit is the latest in a series to Africa by senior Biden administration officials as Washington looks to reinforce ties with a continent where China's diplomatic and economic influence is ubiquitous.

On Thursday, he will head to the West African nation of Niger, which has been confronting a growing Islamist insurgency.

Accountability for atrocities

The United States was outspoken in its criticism of alleged atrocities by Ethiopian forces and their allies from Eritrea and the Amhara region during the Tigray war.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation and traditionally a U.S. ally in East Africa, accused Washington of meddling in its internal affairs and threatened to reassess the bilateral relationship.

It has denied the most serious allegations of human rights violations during the war.

Blinken and Abiy discussed "the importance of accountability for the atrocities perpetrated by all parties during the conflict, as well as the need for an inclusive and comprehensive process of transitional justice," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

As well as mending ties with allies, Ethiopia is also looking to restructure its debt and secure an International Monetary Fund loan, which the state finance minister said last year was being delayed in part by the Tigray war.

While the peace deal has allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Tigray, needs remain immense.

Allegation of abuses, especially sexual violence, have persisted after the deal was signed, though Blinken said human rights advocates had told him during his meeting with them on Wednesday that there had been a significant drop.

"We strongly urge all parties ... to do everything possible to ensure that they cease entirely," he said.

Eritrean troops remain in several border areas while militia from the Amhara region, which neighbours Tigray, occupy large areas of territory in contested parts of western and southern Tigray, humanitarian workers say.

Asked by reporters about the Eritrean troops, Blinken said they were departing, but the process was not complete.

Eritrea's government spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment about the actions of Eritrean troops or any other aspect of its policies.

A spokesperson for the Amhara regional government said it and the people of Amhara were "always ready to co-operate with peace deal process and activities".

 

Read related news articles

US official reveals Ethiopia’s request for AGOA eligibility ‘still pending’, decision unlikely at upcoming forum

A US State Department official has disclosed that the decision to reinstate Ethiopia’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is “still pending”. Constance Hamilton, Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa, made this statement during a digital press briefing held on Thursday.  “Those decisions are still pending,” Ms Hamilton told journalists from the continent, and that “there probably will not be...

27 October 2023

Ethiopia asks US to reinstate AGOA trade benefits as US Secretary of State Blinken heads to Addis, Niger

Ethiopia is asking the Joe Biden administration to reinstate its duty-free access to the US market, arguing that “exceptional circumstances” warrant an immediate re-examination of its suspension just as Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Addis Ababa to discuss the cessation of hostilities in Tigray. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) terminated Ethiopia’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act...

09 March 2023

Kenya 'reaps Sh10 billion after Ethiopia's ban from AGOA deal'

Kenya earned an additional Sh10.2 billion from its exports to the US as Nairobi reaped big from Ethiopia’s suspension from a duty-free trade pact. Last year, Kenya’s exports to the US — mostly apparel were valued at Sh59.6 billion, a jump of more than a fifth from Sh49.4 billion in 2020 as Kenyan traders sold more goods through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), a free trade agreement between Washington and select African...

24 May 2022

US Senator requests return of Ethiopia to AGOA

A U.S senator has requested the senate to return Ethiopia to AGOA as it has been progressing in many aspects. U.S. Senator from Virginia Mark Warner said the U.S. should strengthen and improve the trade relationship between Africa specifically Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has been pending progress in many aspects, especially the ceasefire. The trade relation between Africa specifically with Ethiopia is important. “We do that...

05 April 2022

In Ethiopia, Guinea and Mali, fears rise over losing duty-free access to US market

For Sammy Abdella, the new year has brought bad tidings: the prospect of a steep drop in sales of scarves, rugs, baskets and other textile goods produced by Sammy Handmade in Ethiopia. “The U.S. market is our main destination,” said Abdella, who estimates it accounts for nearly two-thirds of sales for his Addis Ababa-based home decor and fashion company. “So, losing that put us in a very, you know, bad situation.” The source of...

20 January 2022

US takes Ethiopia, Mali, Guinea off AGOA program

The United States on Saturday cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from access to a duty-free trade program, following through on President Joe Biden's threat to do so over accusations of human rights violations and recent coups. "The United States today terminated Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from the AGOA trade preference program due to actions taken by each of their governments in violation of the AGOA Statute," the U.S. Trade Representative's...

01 January 2022

Despite a late push, Ethiopia is set to exit the US trade pact

Despite a last-minute drive backed by diaspora members who fear that Washington may lose an ally, Ethiopia is likely to lose important commercial privileges in the United States on January 1 due to human rights concerns. President Joe Biden said on November 2 that Ethiopia, a longtime US ally and the continent’s second most populous country, will be removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act in the New Year, citing “grave...

30 December 2021

US President terminates AGOA preferences for Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea

U.S. President Joe Biden announced yesterday that he has “determined that Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali do not meet” the AGOA requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) and has proceeded to “terminate the designation of the three countries as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries …effective January 1, 2022.” On November 21, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lamented the impending decision by the U.S. to remove Ethiopia...

24 December 2021

Senator Van Hollen, Representative Bass urge Biden Administration to reconsider Ethiopia's suspension from AGOA

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) urged President Biden to reconsider his Administration’s November 2, 2021 decision to terminate Ethiopia’s designation as a beneficiary country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) at the end of this year. As the lawmakers note in their letter (download a copy at the link alongside), this decision will hurt the nation’s most vulnerable...

23 December 2021

US terminates duty-free trade access to Ethiopia over conflict

Ethiopia’s duty-free export access to the U.S. has been revoked by President Joe Biden due to its failure to meet the requirements, according to the White House. The action comes after 13 months of civil war in the country. Ethiopia is disqualified from participation in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act due to gross violations of human rights, the U.S. Trade Representative said when it notified Ethiopia in November....

23 December 2021

You are here: Home/News/Article/State Secretary Blinken praises Ethiopia on Tigray peace, no return to trade programme yet