ASMARA — Eritrea says it will sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, responding to Addis Ababa’s decision to close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry described Ethiopia’s move as an “unwarranted act of hostility” and said Asmara would respond in kind.
Ethiopia earlier accused Eritrea of “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata.
Eritrea rejected the accusations and instead accused Ethiopia of pursuing a hostile policy against Eritrea for the past three years, particularly over Addis Ababa’s calls for sovereign access to the Red Sea.
Asmara also accused Ethiopia of hosting, training and arming Eritrean opposition groups seeking regime change. The Ethiopian government has separately accused Eritrea of supporting forces fighting the federal government in the current conflict.
Both governments have therefore accused the other of supporting armed opponents, but those competing allegations should be distinguished from independently established facts.
Eritrea said it had exercised restraint in an effort to avoid further escalation but that Ethiopia’s latest decision left it with “no option” but to sever diplomatic relations.
The move represents the most serious rupture in relations since Eritrea and Ethiopia restored diplomatic ties in 2018.
It also comes at a particularly dangerous moment, with fighting intensifying across northern Ethiopia and tensions between Asmara and Addis Ababa rapidly rising.
