End All Sanctions on Ethiopia, Says American Analyst

February 16,2022 (ENA) All sanctions against Ethiopia, including the current 'HR 6600' draft bill, should end, the American political-economic analyst for Africa, Lawrence Freeman, said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, he said 'HR 6600' draft bill, which was introduced by Congressman Malinowski is very harsh on the Ethiopian government and threatens to withhold money from even the World Bank and IMF.

Freeman denounced the draft bill in the strongest term and described the resolution as an attack on the Ethiopian government.   

“This bill is a full-scale attack on Ethiopia, and one of the provisions is accusing the Ethiopian government,” he added.

The bill is voted out of the House Foreign Relations Committee by both the chairman and the minority ranking democrats.  

According to Freeman, the sovereign government of Ethiopia has recently declared a ceasefire, released political prisoners and is undertaking multiple initiatives to conduct an all-encompassing national dialogue, leaving no stone unturned.

Yet, the 'HR 6600' draft bill threatens to impose sanctions on Ethiopia that would undermine the peace initiative in Ethiopia and sanction that hurts the ordinary people of the country.

“I hate sanctions. Sanctions only hurt people. But this government in the Biden Administration and Antony Blinken’s State Department are determined to use sanctions to hurt people not just Ethiopia; but you see it around the world…. So sanctions have become a means of punishment and harmful that the Biden Administration unprecedentedly took Ethiopia out of AGOA relationship of favorite trade agreements.”

Freeman underlined that there is no president in the history of America who has threatened Ethiopia through sanctions.

“No president has done that. This Biden Administration with Bilken and others punished  hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian workers, mainly women, because they want to bring Ethiopia under their control. They want to be able to dictate the policy, and they want Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to continue to make concessions.”

The current US Administration should stop such sanctions against Ethiopia that will even affect the interest of the US.

“It is not constructive at all. It should stop immediately. I call for an end to all sanctions against Ethiopia started today. Now there is a basis for Ethiopia and the United States to work together. Ethiopia is a 115 million people, the second largest country in Africa with a well-expanding economy and the United States has an interest in developing Ethiopia,” he elaborated.

The American political analyst noted that there is a faction of people who are following the doctrine of geopolitics to control certain areas of the world.

“I would like to see the United States in Ethiopia resume its relationship --- a relationship that is in the interest of each country which is in the interest of the other. And I think these sanctions and geopolitical warfare against Ethiopia is un-American and I as an American oppose it,” he underscored.

President Biden “should stop listening to them (his advisors) about Ethiopia.” Freeman stressed.

“The president should stop listening to his advisers about Ethiopia and about many other areas of the world as well. There is no benefit. What would happen right now? Biden has been pulled along, captured by the geopolitical factions.”

The analyst explained that the administration’s wrong decision on Ethiopia and the continent of is Africa due to the little knowledge the president has about Africa. He has been misguided, Freeman stated.   

It is to be recalled on February 4/2022, HR6600 bill that aims to initiate sanction and challenge the Ethiopian government’s effort to safeguard peace in the northern part of the country was drafted.