According to a?US. A government document, seen by analysts, linked the strategic location of the African state on the Red Sea shipping routes.

Analysts said that the U.S. action was aimed at improving relations with Eritrea which has a long Red Sea coast opposite Saudi Arabia. It also sent a message to Ethiopia to not go to war against its long-time Horn of Africa enemy. Analysts say that the war in Iran, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz near Saudi Arabia's east coast, has brought to light the importance of control of the Red Sea as a major trade route between Asia and the Mediterranean.

The Horn of Africa is currently destabilised due to the war in Sudan, the tensions in Somalia, and the fear of conflict between Ethiopian and Eritrean.

Freedom House, an advocacy group based in the United States, ranks Eritrea, which is a military-authoritarian state, as being on par with North Korea. It describes Eritrea?as militarised authoritarian and notes that it hasn't held a national elections since it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1994.

SANCTIONS IMPOSED BY BIDEN 2021 In 2021, the U.S. Administration under President Joe Biden imposed?sanctions against Eritrea's rulers and military, as well as Eritrean senior officials. This was for their involvement in a war with Ethiopian troops in the north Tigray region. Eritrean forces backed Ethiopian soldiers in this conflict. In a document sent to various countries by the U.S. State Department, the United States said it would cancel the executive order that Biden had signed imposing sanctions "on or about May 4". The ties had been frozen for decades, even before the sanctions were imposed.

The Trump administration did not announce when it would lift the sanctions.

State Department refused to comment on either the document or if sanctions could be lifted, but a spokeswoman made a positive remark about U.S. - Eritrean relations.

The spokesperson stated that "the Trump administration is committed to promoting peace and prosperity throughout the Horn of Africa, and looks forward in strengthening the United States relationship with the government and people of Eritrea."

Billene Seyoum and Yemane Gebremeskel of the Ethiopian Prime Minister's Press Secretary did not reply to comments.

WAR KILLED THOUSANDS

Human rights activists and U.N. experts have accused Eritrea, under the 30-year rule of President Isaias Adwerki, of a wide range of human rights violations. These include indefinite conscriptions of men and women who are not married into the military or government since Eritrea's border war with Ethiopia.

Asmara officials deny these accusations. Ethiopia's war of 2020-2022 killed tens of thousands and displace millions. The U.N. accused Eritrean forces of several violations, including summary executions as well as the abduction and disappearance of Eritrean refugee there.

Eritrea initially denied that its troops were in Tigray to assist Ethiopian forces. However, they later acknowledged their presence and denied any abuses.

OIL DISRUPTIONS BRING RED SEA TO FOCUS

The 2021 sanctions targeted Eritrea’s military, ruling party, People’s Front for Democracy & Justice (PFDJ), and the head of?Eritrean National Security Office, among other targets.

The Iran war, however, has disrupted oil shipping and supplies in the region. Eritrea is now a major player.

The International Crisis Group's program director for Africa, Murithi Mutiga, said that "the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will mean the Red Sea is a?more contested area. This could be a sign that the U.S. takes a greater interest in the region."

Eritrea, Ethiopia and their shared history is bitter. Both countries fought for long periods of time before achieving peace in 2018.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad publicly declared that his country has a right of sea access after the war ended in Tigray.

Eritrea has widely interpreted the comments as a military threat.

Diplomats in the region say that Washington's move will also send a strong message to Ethiopia, which is landlocked, that Washington doesn't support a forceful bid for sea access.

The U.S. note stated that "we have repeatedly communicated with Ethiopia that we are opposed to any attempt to obtain sea access by force", adding that both countries had been warned of "the destabilising role" they played towards each other.

(source: Reuters)