Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties as northern conflict escalates

Ethiopia announced on Thursday that it was closing its embassy in Asmara and expelling ten Eritrean diplomats within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened national security, and Eritrea immediately reciprocated by severing diplomatic ties with Addis Ababa. The diplomatic rupture follows a night of powerful explosions heard in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, near the military and intelligence headquarters, and comes amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia that pits federal forces against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies across Tigray, Afar and Amhara. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said the expelled diplomats “pose a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security,” while Eritrea’s foreign ministry described Addis Ababa’s decision as “astounding” and warned of “negative corollaries” from the break in relations.

The escalation is rooted in a sharp deterioration of the post‑war relationship between the two neighbours, who had fought side‑by‑side against the TPLF during the 2020‑2022 conflict that claimed an estimated 600,000 lives, according to an African Union mediator. Since the 2022 peace agreement, Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of backing an alliance of armed groups—including the TPLF, the Amhara‑based Fano militia and five other movements—that seeks to topple Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, a charge Eritrea has repeatedly denied. Tensions have also risen over Ethiopia’s push for direct Red Sea access; landlocked Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993, and Eritrea alleges that Abiy’s government harbours ambitions over its ports, while Ethiopia argues that sea access is vital for its economic and security interests. The latest diplomatic fallout coincided with an indefinite ban on drone flights over Addis Ababa imposed by the National Intelligence and Security Service after the explosions, which a source linked to the opposition alliance claimed were drone attacks, though Ethiopian authorities have not confirmed the cause or reported casualties.

The conflict’s human toll is mounting as federal forces and allied militias make gains in southern Tigray and advance toward the regional capital Mekelle, while intense fighting in Alamata has reportedly killed at least 52 civilians in three days, according to a local doctor. In Afar, a key transport corridor to Djibouti, tens of thousands have fled their homes amid clashes between federal troops and TPLF fighters, each side blaming the other for initiating hostilities. A pro‑government militia commander alleged Eritrean soldiers are fighting on the front lines, a claim the BBC has not independently verified, and Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel dismissed Ethiopian accusations as a diversion from internal problems. The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise restraint and resolve disputes diplomatically, warning that the current trajectory risks a broader regional confrontation.

⚡ Effects Interpreter