USA terminates trade agreements with Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea

Enlarge image

A family from Ethiopia on the run, the country is shaken by bloody conflicts

Photo: Reuters Photographer / REUTERS

The USA has terminated an important trade agreement with the crisis state Ethiopia and the West African countries Mali and Guinea.

The reason for this are concerns about the unconstitutional changes of government in Mali and Guinea and human rights violations in connection with the conflict in northern Ethiopia, as the office of the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced on Saturday.

The exclusion from the trade agreement will apply from January 1st.

The US government had already announced this step in November and initiated the termination shortly before Christmas.

The countries had been clearly communicated what progress would have to be made in order to be included in the trade agreement again, it said.

Washington will "work together with the respective governments to achieve this goal."

more on the subject

• Political scientist on coup attempts: »There can be positive changes« By Heiner Hoffmann, Nairobi

• Fight for insurgent region: Government reports that the advance on Tigray has been halted

• After European criticism of the crisis state: Mali denies combat deployment of Russian mercenaries

The so-called Agoa program (African Growth and Opportunity Act) is intended to facilitate trade between the USA and African countries, it guarantees many African countries duty-free access for thousands of goods in the US market.

However, this is linked to conditions relating to human rights, good governance and worker protection.

Repeated warnings for Ethiopia

The preferential treatment for exports to the USA is particularly important for Ethiopia, which has been shaken by a bloody conflict.

The Ethiopian central government has been in a military conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for around a year.

The US government has repeatedly urged the Ethiopian parties to the conflict to negotiate without any preconditions.

In Guinea, the military had deposed long-time President Alpha Condé at the beginning of September.

Since then, the leader of the putschists, Mamady Doumbouya, has governed as interim president.

The last time there had been two military coups in Mali.

First of all, in August 2020, the military under the leadership of Colonel Assimi Goïta overthrew the then head of state Ibrahim Boubacar.

In May 2021, Goïta then deposed the civilian leadership of a transitional government and appointed himself transitional president.

Both coups were sharply criticized internationally and those responsible were sanctioned.

kah / dpa / AFP