Ethiopia Expels 10 Eritrean Diplomats and Shuts Embassy in Asmara as Regional Tensions Rise
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia has ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours and said it would close its embassy in Asmara, marking a sharp deterioration in relations as fighting intensifies in the country’s north.
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Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the diplomats had engaged in activities it considered a direct threat to national security.
The ministry linked both measures to what it described as Eritrea’s direct and indirect actions against Ethiopia. Its statement did not outline specific evidence supporting the allegations.
The diplomats must depart within 48 hours, according to the government, which said their conduct violated international diplomatic norms and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Addis Ababa also urged Eritrea to stop actions it said breached the principles governing relations between sovereign states.
The announcement came as violence escalated across northern Ethiopia, especially in and around the Tigray region. Ethiopian government forces and allied groups have been fighting Tigrayan forces and other armed organisations in renewed clashes.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea and other neighbouring states of backing groups opposed to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Eritrea has denied involvement in Ethiopia’s internal conflict.
Reuters reported Thursday that explosions were heard overnight in Addis Ababa following the renewed fighting in the north. The report also said Ethiopia had accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance—claims all three countries have rejected.
The latest measures have heightened fears that the conflict could spread beyond Ethiopia’s northern regions while placing additional strain on ties with Eritrea. The neighbours fought a border war between 1998 and 2000 and restored diplomatic relations in 2018.
Relations have since weakened again over security concerns, territorial disputes and Ethiopia’s efforts to secure access to the Red Sea. Current British government travel advice says tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea are high and warns that conditions could change quickly.
Even as it announced the diplomatic actions, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said it continued to acknowledge the historical, cultural and people-to-people links between the two countries.
The ministry said Addis Ababa remained committed to peaceful coexistence, regional stability and deeper integration across the Horn of Africa.
It added that Ethiopia wanted disagreements settled through peaceful channels and would continue cooperating with regional countries to advance lasting peace, security and cooperation.
Closing the embassy and expelling Eritrean diplomats signals a major downturn in relations at a moment when fighting along and near Ethiopia’s northern borders has intensified.
Ethiopia has previously demanded that Eritrea remove its forces from Ethiopian territory, while saying it remains willing to negotiate broader issues between the two countries.
The moves are expected to draw greater attention to security along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, where international authorities have already warned that further armed conflict remains possible.
AXADLETM
