The diplomatic dispute erupted hours after overnight explosions in Addis Ababa, including near the headquarters of the Ethiopian military. Ethiopian authorities did not confirm what caused the explosions, and there were no official reports of casualties or serious damage.
According to BBC News, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, saying they posed a threat to national security. In response, Eritrea severed diplomatic relations and called Addis Ababa’s decision “astonishing”.
The escalation comes amid fighting in northern Ethiopia, where federal forces and their allies are battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. Last month, the TPLF entered into an alliance with six other armed movements, including Amhara’s Fano militia, with the stated aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from power.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of supporting this alliance, and Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, rejected the accusations in an interview with the BBC’s Tigrinya service. According to the BBC, in the northern Ethiopian city of Alamata, a doctor said at least 52 civilians were killed over three days of intense fighting.
The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt to show restraint and resolve their differences through diplomacy, while the UN said drone and air strikes are hindering humanitarian work and the movement of aid. According to the BBC, this is the most serious escalation of fighting since the peace agreement that ended the devastating war in Tigray in 2022.
Ethiopia and Eritrea were allies during the 2020–2022 war, when Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces against the TPLF. Relations between the neighbors have deteriorated, in part because of Addis Ababa’s push for direct access to the Red Sea, and Asmara accuses Ethiopia of pursuing an increasingly hostile policy on this issue.
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