Ethiopia has announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two neighbors.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry accused Eritrea of “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” and declared the diplomats persona non grata.
The move comes as fighting intensifies in northern Ethiopia. Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups fighting the federal government. Eritrea has denied the allegations, and no independently verified evidence establishing direct Eritrean involvement in the current fighting has been publicly presented.
Relations between Asmara and Addis Ababa have deteriorated significantly after the two governments restored diplomatic ties in 2018.
The latest diplomatic rupture comes amid a rapidly changing security situation inside Ethiopia, including fighting across several northern fronts and explosions reported in Addis Ababa.
Closing the embassy and expelling diplomats marks a significant new stage in the deterioration of relations, further reducing diplomatic channels between the two governments at a time of growing regional tension.
