Addis Ababa and Asmara sever ties as fighting continues in northern Ethiopia

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Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations on Thursday, and the two sides exchanged accusations of fueling internal conflicts in light of the continuing fighting in northern Ethiopia.

Long-standing tensions between the two neighboring countries have reached a critical stage following the outbreak of violent clashes last week between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, raising fears of a renewal of the devastating civil war that took place between 2020 and 2022 and claimed an estimated 600,000 people.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of ​​supporting Tigray People's Liberation Front rebels.

Addis Ababa announced that it would expel ten Eritrean diplomats who “pose a direct threat to Ethiopian national security,” and that it would close its embassy in Asmara.

The Eritrean Foreign Ministry responded that it had “no choice but to respond in kind and sever all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.”

Hundreds have been killed and injured since fierce fighting resumed in northern Ethiopia last week.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which controls the Tigray region, launched attacks inside the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, with the support of local militias.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has not yet commented on the crisis, is scheduled to be sworn in for a new term on Monday, after winning the elections that took place in June.

However, he faces conflict on multiple fronts, as several armed groups have formed an alliance against him.

Ethiopia expels a member of the diplomatic corps at the Egyptian embassy

On the other hand, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry asked a member of the diplomatic staff at the Egyptian embassy in Ethiopia, Ahmed Muharram Ahmed Soliman, to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry stated that, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it had notified the Egyptian embassy that Ahmed Muharram Ahmed Suleiman was a persona non grata. (without giving details)