Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats’ persona non grata on Thursday, prompting Asmara to sever all diplomatic ties with its neighbour after overnight blasts heard in Addis Ababa sparked fears about renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia spreading.
Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that has battled troops loyal to Ethiopia’s federal government since last week.
The three countries deny the accusation.
The African Union Commission urged the three countries to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions or statements that could worsen tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.
The clashes mark the biggest escalation of fighting in Ethiopia since the end of a 2020 to 2022 civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Eritrea had fought in support of Ethiopia’s federal government in that conflict.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had “decided to close its Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea, in response to Eritrea’s direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia”.
It also said in a statement posted on its X account that 10 Eritrean diplomats, whom it did not name, were required to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.
–Reuters–
