Ethiopia “disappointed” by U.S. move to suspend trade benefits

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia is “extremely disappointed” by the United States’ move to suspend the duty-free access of its exports under an Africa trade pact, the Ethiopian ministry of trade said on Tuesday, calling for a reversal by January.

The United States plans to remove Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from the agreement that gives them duty-free access to the United States, President Joe Biden said in a letter to Congress, citing concerns over human rights and democracy.

“The Ethiopian government takes all human rights allegations seriously: we are looking at them and conducting investigations and we are committed to ensuring accountability,” the Ethiopian ministry said in a statement.