Ethiopia to lose access to lucrative US trade program following CNN investigation

The White House will eject Ethiopia from a trade program between sub-Saharan African countries and the United States over human rights violations, according to a statement Thursday, after Ethiopian Airlines used to transport illegal weapons during Tigray Conflict…

Ethiopia was found to be in violation of section 506a of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the statement added. The clause stipulates that eligible nations must not engage in “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” The move comes after a CNN investigation earlier this year.

President Joe Biden formally announced the decision in a proclamation, a month after he informed Congress that he intended to terminate Ethiopia’s membership of the deal, The termination notice, which also applies to Guinea and Mali, is effective January 1, 2022.

Sources:https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/24/africa/ethiopia-us-trade-agoa-intl/index.html