ADDIS ABABA / ASMARA — Diplomatic relations across the Horn of Africa suffered a severe rupture as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia announced the formal closure of its embassy in Asmara, Eritrea, alongside the expulsion of ten Eritrean diplomats stationed in Addis Ababa.
In an official communique issued by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Addis Ababa declared the Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, ordering them to depart sovereign Ethiopian territory within 48 hours. Ethiopian authorities cited alleged violations of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, accusing the diplomatic mission of orchestrating activities detrimental to Ethiopia's national security and sovereign interests.
Asmara Reciprocates by Severing Full Bilateral Ties
Hours after the Ethiopian decree, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea responded by announcing a complete severance of diplomatic relations with Ethiopia. Asmara categorically rejected Addis Ababa's accusations as baseless and unwarranted, asserting that it had no option but to reciprocate in kind, expelling remaining Ethiopian diplomatic personnel and shuttering its embassy in Addis Ababa.
The diplomatic freeze between the two capital cities marks the most critical breakdown in bilateral engagement since the signing of the historic 2018 Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, which had formally ended two decades of frozen military hostilities.
Regional Repercussions and Diplomatic Mediation
The collapse in diplomatic ties follows renewed military tensions in northern Ethiopia and unresolved disputes regarding strategic access along Red Sea littoral corridors. The rupture comes amidst wider diplomatic restructuring in regional capitals, reflecting trends previously documented in international diplomacy and multilateral governance reviews.
The regional dispute was further highlighted as Ethiopia ordered the expulsion of an Egyptian diplomat on parallel national security grounds, precipitating reciprocal diplomatic measures in Cairo. The African Union Commission and United Nations secretariats have called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and maintain communication channels to avoid cross-border military escalation.