President Biden’s US administration today imposed new arms embargo on Ethiopia as the country faces existential threat from militants, which Ethiopian parliament designated as terror organizations. Effective on November 1, 2021, Biden’s US State Department will “deny licenses or other approvals for exports of defense articles or defense services destined to or for the armed forces, police, intelligence, or other internal security forces of Ethiopia.”

The latest US arms and security ban on Ethiopia adds to the pre-existing US economic sanctions on the country, including blocking finance for development projects and for the vital telecom liberalization in Ethiopia. On November 1, Biden’s administration also canceled US trade agreements with Ethiopia, including the AGOA trade access program that employs thousands of women inside Ethiopia. Together with prior EU embargo, the various Western financial sanctions has devastated the Ethiopian economy during a historic period of transition to democracy, while facing rebel insurrections. 

These destructive western policies in this sensitive period will likely increase anti-America sentiment in a country that used to sympathize with America’s challenges facing terrorism. 

Worsening Western policies have already had adverse impact on Ethiopia. The Western arms embargo had forced Ethiopia to seek new eastern alliances to gain weapons, however shortage of finance and arms in Ethiopia has already led to the slaughter of Ethiopians by terror groups, including thousands of ill-equipped ethnic Afar and Amhara youth massacred by the US-armed TPLF terror organization. For years, US provided security training to TPLF commandos named “Agazi” as well as high caliber weapons. In recent weeks, various government politicians have expressed the shortage of arms and unavailability of weapons to fight back against TPLF rebels, despite having enough manpower. 

On Monday, Prime Minister Abiy admitted rebels had received satellite and communication technology support from “foreign actors.” The TPLF rebel group (that ruled Ethiopia when its Tigrayan military generals dominated the national army) previously received large US financial assistance and security training since the 1990s.

As a non-state actor now, TPLF rebels are not impacted by the US arms embargo, and rebel leaders admitted on Tigray-TV of having dugout massive secret stockpiles of weapons and ammunition in August and September that they have accumulated over the years.

In addition to assisting the TPLF rebels, the US government has continued providing billions of dollars worth of weapons and security aid to Egypt annually, as Egypt coordinates with Sudanese military to invade Western Ethiopia since the end of 2020. 

In September, Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey condemned Biden’s foreign policy in Ethiopia, including for not directly condemning the atrocities committed by the TPLF rebels.

A war that began last year with the Tigrayan rebels ethnic-profiling and slaughtering over 1,000 ethnic Amharas continues today as the Tigrayan rebels displaced over a million Amhara & Afar people while killing thousands of civilians and poorly quipped youth in Wollo province.