The White House published on 17 September 2021 a "Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Executive Order Regarding the Crisis in Ethiopia."
President Biden said we fully agree with United Nations and African Union leaders that there is no military solution to the crisis in Ethiopia. He pledged the U.S. will continue to press for a negotiated ceasefire.
The Executive Order he signed today establishes a new sanctions regime that will allow the U.S. to target those responsible for, or complicit in, prolonging the conflict in Ethiopia, obstructing humanitarian access, or preventing a ceasefire. It provides the Department of the Treasury with the necessary authority to hold accountable those in the government of Ethiopia, government of Eritrea, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and Amhara regional government, among others, that continue to pursue conflict over negotiations to the detriment of the Ethiopian people.
President Biden emphasized that these sanctions are not directed at the people of Ethiopia or Eritrea, but rather the individuals and entities perpetrating the violence and driving a humanitarian disaster.
