Ethiopia and Eritrea sever diplomatic ties as Tigray fighting escalates

Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed diplomatic relations as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raises fears of a wider Horn of Africa conflict. On Thursday, Ethiopia announced it was closing its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats — including the chargé d'affaires and officials accredited to the African Union — to leave within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened national security.

Eritrea's foreign ministry said the expulsion left it with "no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties," warning of "negative corollaries," according to Al Jazeera reporting that also cited AFP and AP. Asmara called claims of Eritrean hostility "astounding" and accused Addis Ababa of pursuing Red Sea access and hosting armed opposition. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF); Eritrea denies involvement. Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat, prompting Cairo to order an Ethiopian embassy official out on the same timeline.

The diplomatic rupture coincides with heavy fighting between federal forces and TPLF-linked groups across Tigray, Afar and Amhara — the most serious escalation since the 2022 Pretoria peace deal that ended a war an African Union mediator previously estimated had killed about 600,000 people. Explosions were reported near military sites in Addis Ababa, while a doctor in Alamata told the BBC at least 52 civilians were killed in three days of intense fighting. The United Nations has warned that drones, air strikes and road closures are disrupting humanitarian access; the African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to show restraint.

Sources: BBC News; Al Jazeera; Deutsche Welle.