(4 minutes read)
· The European Union has imposed sanctions on Eritrea on Monday (yesterday) for (purported) violations of human rights,
· Details of the sanctions including its severity and how long that would continue etc have to be spelt out by the EU
· It also alleged that the EU was trying to bring back power to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)
· The ministry also said that EU has no legal or moral prerogative for its decision and has merely invoked trumped-up charges to harass Eritrea for other ulterior motives.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on Eritrea on Monday (yesterday) for (purported) violations of human rights, including extra-judicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests. Details of the sanctions including its severity and how long that would continue etc have to be spelt out by the EU.
Earlier this month, the United Nations accused Eritrean troops of operating in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. There are reports that suggested the Eritrean forces were responsible for atrocities. The EU blacklisted Eritrea’s National Security Office, for perpetrating the atrocities. The charges against the Eritrean National Security Office include serious human rights violations in Eritrea, in particular arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances of persons and torture.
Eritrea did not take kindly to the actions of the EU. Its foreign ministry reacted by saying the EU’s decision was “malicious” and accused the bloc of bridging a divide between Eritrea and Ethiopia. It also \ alleged that the EU was trying to bring back power to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The ministry also said that EU has no legal or moral prerogative for its decision and has merely invoked trumped-up charges to harass Eritrea for other ulterior motives.
Thousands have been killed amid the fighting in Tigray and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict erupted in November last year. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied Eritrea using troops to fight in the Tigray conflict despite an Ethiopian general and witnesses reporting their presence. By way of sanctions Eretria will have to face asset freezes in the European Union and individuals and entities in the bloc can not make funds available to those listed.
The EU’s move comes as part of its new sanctions system, which aims to punish human rights abuses. Recently, the bloc also sanctioned Myanmar’s military chiefs and four Chinese officials.
It also alleged that the EU was trying to bring back power to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The ministry also said that EU has no legal or moral prerogative for its decision and has merely invoked trumped-up charges to harass Eritrea for other ulterior motives.
