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ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, marking a significant deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the measures in a statement issued on Thursday, declaring the 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata and ordering their departure from Ethiopia within 48 hours.
The ministry said the decision was prompted by what it described as “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia.”
Ethiopia also accused the expelled diplomats of engaging in activities that it said posed a threat to the country’s national security and violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The government called on Eritrea to stop what it described as actions inconsistent with the principles governing relations between sovereign states.
Despite the measures, Ethiopia said it remains committed to regional stability, peaceful resolution of disputes and the historical ties between the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Diplomatic relations deteriorate
The announcement represents a major setback to relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara, which improved significantly following the 2018 peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The two countries restored diplomatic and transport links after the rapprochement, ending years of hostility following the 1998–2000 Ethiopia-Eritrea war.
Relations have since become increasingly strained again, with disagreements involving security and developments in the wider Horn of Africa adding pressure to the relationship.
The latest diplomatic measures come as tensions across the region remain high. Reuters reported on Thursday that explosions were heard overnight in Addis Ababa amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, although the different claims surrounding the blasts could not be independently verified.
The closure of the Ethiopian embassy in Asmara and the expulsion of Eritrean diplomats now add a new diplomatic dimension to the growing tensions between the two governments.
