Ethiopia: Ethiopia Shuts Embassy in Asmara, Expels Ten Eritrean Diplomats

What the report says

Ethiopia has shut its embassy in Asmara and expelled ten Eritrean diplomats, marking a major deterioration in ties between the two Horn of Africa neighbors, according to a statement from Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday. The diplomats, based in Addis Ababa, were declared persona non grata and told to leave within 48 hours. Ethiopia said the action was taken in response to what it described as hostile and belligerent conduct by Eritrea, and said the expelled officials had engaged in activities it viewed as a threat to national security, though it did not provide specific details.

The move is significant because it reverses the diplomatic thaw that followed the 2018 rapprochement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki. That earlier opening included the reopening of embassies and was part of the peace process that helped Abiy win the Nobel Peace Prize. The report says relations have since weakened amid disputes linked to the 2022 Pretoria agreement that ended the Tigray war and Ethiopia’s push for access to the Red Sea.

Ethiopia’s statement also paired the expulsions with a call for peaceful dispute resolution and for respect for the principles governing relations between sovereign states. As of publication, Eritrea had not publicly responded. The development matters because it signals a renewed diplomatic breakdown in a region where Ethiopia and Eritrea have long had security and border tensions, and where regional stability is closely watched by neighboring states and international partners.