Eritrea’s foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it is severing all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia. This development follows a series of escalations initiated by Addis Ababa, which recently ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata.
The Ethiopian foreign ministry stated that the decision to close the embassy was a direct response to what it termed as Eritrea’s “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” against the country. Authorities in Addis Ababa further alleged that the 10 expelled Eritrean diplomats had engaged in activities that threatened Ethiopia's national security, citing a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. These individuals were given a 48-hour deadline to vacate the country.
The diplomatic breakdown occurs against a backdrop of accusations from Addis Ababa, which claims that Eritrea and other nations are providing support to an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF has been engaged in an ongoing conflict with forces loyal to the Ethiopian federal government since last week. Eritrea has officially denied these allegations.
In a statement regarding the ongoing tensions, the Ethiopian foreign ministry urged Eritrea to cease actions deemed contrary to the established principles governing relations between sovereign states. Despite the rupture, the ministry emphasized that “Ethiopia values its strong historical, cultural and people-to-people ties with Eritrea and remains committed to peaceful coexistence, regional stability and integration.”
