Ethiopia declares an Egyptian diplomat “persona non grata” and demands that he leave the country within 48 hours

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared, on Thursday, that “an Egyptian diplomat is persona non grata,” and the ministry informed “the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa that he must leave Ethiopian territory within 48 hours from the date of notification.” The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in a diplomatic note addressed to the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa, that “the decision comes in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” according to what was reported by the official Ethiopian news agency “ENA.”

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry memorandum explained that “Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Muharram Ahmed Soliman has been declared persona non grata.” At the conclusion of the memorandum, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed to the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Addis Ababa “assurances of its utmost appreciation and respect,” according to the “ENA” agency.

At the same time, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had decided to close its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in response to what it described as “direct and indirect acts of hostility and escalation carried out by Eritrea against Ethiopia,” according to ENA. The ministry declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, claiming they were participating in activities that “pose a direct threat to Ethiopian national security, in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in another statement issued on Thursday that “these concerned diplomats must leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.” The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the Eritrean government to "stop all actions that conflict with the principles regulating relations between sovereign states," according to the ENA agency.

The Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, claimed that Egypt and Sudan support a “new alliance” of armed groups seeking to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and claimed that these groups cannot confront the government without external support. He also accused Eritrea of ​​acting as a link between external powers and these groups.

In response to these accusations, the Sudanese Armed Forces recently announced their categorical rejection of the statements of the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army in which he referred to Sudan’s support for Ethiopian opposition groups currently waging battles against Abiy Ahmed’s government. The Sudanese army said in its statement: “The Sudanese Armed Forces followed the statements of the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, and the accusations they contained against Sudan of supporting the Ethiopian opposition.”

The statement continued: “The Armed Forces affirm their categorical rejection of these allegations, and consider them to be baseless accusations, at a time when information and facts are available about the continued support and support of the (Al Dagalo terrorist) militia from Ethiopian territory, including training, supply, and the use of Ethiopian territory in military activities (strategic and suicide drones),” according to the statement. On the other hand, the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, announced the formation of a national committee to assess the economic losses and lost development opportunities associated with water projects, which he claimed were “obstructed by the Egyptian side,” according to the ENA news agency.

In an interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, Habtamu stated, “The committee has so far identified more than 22 development projects - including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - that have faced obstruction by Egypt.” Minister Habtamu explained that "the newly formed committee is working to collect evidence related to these projects and study the foundations on which Ethiopia's claims for compensation are based," he said.

The minister claimed that "operating the Renaissance Dam contributes to regulating the flows of the Nile River, and may contribute to reducing floods in the two downstream countries, and maintaining the availability of water during periods of low rainfall." Last Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that Cairo was giving the issue of Ethiopian dams “diplomatic space,” but he also warned that this “would not be at the expense of the existence of Egypt and its people.”

Al-Sisi’s statements came during an event with students of the Egyptian Military Academy, where he said, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency, “The state gives the issue of the Ethiopian dams space for diplomacy and peaceful solutions, but this will not be at the expense of the existence of Egypt and its people.” Al-Sisi added, "The Ethiopian dam was built only as a result of the events that the state witnessed during the period from 2011 to 2013 and the absence of the state."