Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea collapsed into a complete diplomatic rupture after Addis Ababa shut its embassy in Asmara and expelled ten Eritrean diplomats over national security allegations, prompting Asmara to immediately sever all bilateral ties.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the ten diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to depart within 48 hours, alleging that they engaged in subversive conduct that breached the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Addis Ababa defended the dramatic embassy closure by pointing to persistent hostility and destabilizing acts allegedly orchestrated by the Eritrean leadership. In swift retaliation, the Eritrean government repudiated the accusations as unfounded and formally terminated diplomatic relations, arguing that Ethiopia had effectively maintained an aggressive posture toward its borders and maritime access for years.
This severe diplomatic fallout dismantles the fragile peace established under the landmark 2018 rapprochement, which had previously ended two decades of armed conflict and frozen relations. The crisis unfolds alongside an alarming resurgence of heavy fighting in northern Ethiopia involving federal troops and Tigrayan combatants, raising acute concerns of a wider regional conflagration. Compounding the geopolitical volatility, Ethiopia concurrently expelled an Egyptian envoy, precipitating reciprocal measures from Cairo and further straining Horn of Africa diplomacy.
Confronting the rapidly deteriorating standoff, the African Union Commission has called on all neighboring states to practice maximum restraint and pursue peaceful dialogue rather than military confrontation.