Eritrea cuts diplomatic ties with Ethiopia

Eritrea has severed all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia in response to the earlier expulsion of its diplomats from Addis Ababa, as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raises fears of a wider regional conflict.

Ethiopia had earlier on Thursday declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, accusing them of activities that posed “a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security” in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The diplomats, including the chargé d’affaires and those accredited to the African Union, were given 48 hours to leave the country. Ethiopia also announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara.

In a statement posted on X, Eritrea’s foreign ministry described Ethiopia’s actions as “astounding” and said it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails.”

Eritrea accused Ethiopia of pursuing an agenda of “incessant hostility,” including hosting, training and arming what it called “Eritrean armed opposition groups” to stoke internal conflict for regime change.

The diplomatic rupture followed overnight explosions in Addis Ababa, including near Ethiopia’s military headquarters. A source linked to an opposition alliance told Reuters that its forces had carried out drone attacks. Ethiopian authorities have not confirmed the cause.

The confrontation comes as Ethiopian federal forces battle fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and a newly formed alliance of armed groups, including the Fano militia from Amhara. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the alliance. Asmara has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Relations between the two countries, allies during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, have deteriorated over Ethiopia’s push for direct access to the Red Sea.

SOURCE: AA