Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed diplomatic relations as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raises fears of a wider regional conflict.
On Thursday, Ethiopia announced that it was closing its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened national security.
Eritrea responded by cutting diplomatic relations, saying Ethiopia’s decision had left it with no choice but to take reciprocal action.
The diplomatic confrontation came hours after powerful explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, including near Ethiopia’s military headquarters.
It follows a sharp deterioration in relations between the neighbours, with Addis Ababa accusing Eritrea of supporting an alliance of armed groups fighting the Ethiopian government – an allegation Asmara has repeatedly denied.
Ethiopia said it was expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats who “pose a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security” and would shut its embassy in Asmara.
In response, Eritrea announced on late Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, describing Addis Ababa’s decision as “astounding”.
“Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia,” its foreign ministry said, warning of “negative corollaries” from the decision.
The diplomatic fallout comes as Ethiopian federal forces battle fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies across parts of Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
The latest hostilities are the most serious since a peace agreement ended the devastating Tigray war in 2022. An African Union mediator previously estimated that about 600,000 people died during that two-year conflict.
Last month, the TPLF joined six other armed movements, including the Fano militia from Amhara, to form an alliance whose stated objective is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government from power.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of helping the alliance.
A pro-government militia commander fighting in Tigray also told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers had been involved on the front lines. The BBC has not independently verified the allegation.
But in a rare interview with the BBC before diplomatic relations were severed, Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected the accusations.
He told BBC Tigrinya that Ethiopia’s governing Prosperity Party was blaming neighbouring countries to divert attention from conflicts and other problems within Ethiopia.
The two countries were allies during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, when Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces against the TPLF.
But relations have deteriorated significantly since then, particularly over Ethiopia’s push for direct access to the Red Sea. Asmara accuses Ethiopia of pursuing what it describes as an increasingly hostile policy over the Red Sea.
Landlocked Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993.
Abiy has repeatedly argued that access to the sea is essential to Ethiopia’s long-term economic and security interests, while Eritrea has accused his government of harbouring ambitions over its ports.
The latest diplomatic confrontation came hours after loud explosions were heard on Wednesday night in Addis Ababa, close to the headquarters of the intelligence service.
A source linked to the opposition alliance told Reuters news agency that its forces had carried out drone attacks in the capital. Ethiopian authorities have not confirmed what caused the explosions, and there have been no official reports of casualties or significant damage.
Residents in two areas of Addis Ababa separately told the BBC that they heard powerful explosions during the night. One resident near the intelligence headquarters said the blast was loud enough to trigger car alarms.
The explosions came hours after Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service imposed an indefinite ban on drone flights over Addis Ababa and surrounding areas, citing the need to protect senior officials, important infrastructure and public events.
Meanwhile, fighting continues across northern Ethiopia.
Federal forces and their allies appear to have made gains in southern Tigray and are advancing towards Mekelle, the regional capital. In Alamata, a doctor told the BBC earlier this week that at least 52 civilians had been killed during three days of intense fighting.
The TPLF has also been fighting in neighbouring Afar, which lies along Ethiopia’s crucial transport corridor to Djibouti and the sea. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have fled their homes there.
Both the Ethiopian government and the TPLF accuse the other of starting the latest hostilities. Tigrayan authorities say their forces were responding to a federal offensive and drone strikes, while Addis Ababa says Tigrayan fighters launched attacks after taking control of federally administered airports in Tigray.
Independent verification remains difficult because journalists have limited access to the conflict areas and communications across much of Tigray have been disrupted.
The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic channels, warning against actions that could further destabilise the region.
The UN has also warned that the deteriorating security situation is severely disrupting humanitarian work in northern Ethiopia. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said drone activity and air strikes were putting civilians, vital infrastructure and aid operations at risk, while insecurity and road closures were restricting humanitarian movements.
The UN has called on all sides to guarantee safe and unhindered access to people in need.
