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World

Ethiopia and Egypt expel diplomats in tit-for-tat row as African Union urges restraint

Ethiopia ordered a senior Egyptian diplomat out within 48 hours and Egypt reciprocated, a day after Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and Eritrea severed all diplomatic ties; the African Union urged the three countries to exercise maximum restraint.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

Ethiopia and Egypt are expelling each other’s diplomats in a tit-for-tat row, marking a new escalation one day after Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea and Asmara severed all diplomatic ties.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry issued a brief statement late on Thursday ordering senior Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman to leave the country within 48 hours, giving no reason, The National reported. Egypt responded by expelling a senior member of Ethiopia’s diplomatic mission in Cairo — the embassy’s counsellor, whom it did not name — also giving him 48 hours to leave.

The row follows Thursday’s rupture between Ethiopia and Eritrea: Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Asmara, saying the decision was “in response to Eritrea’s direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia”, and declared 10 unnamed Eritrean diplomats persona non grata with 48 hours to leave. Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, told Reuters that by expelling all Eritrean diplomats from Ethiopia, Addis Ababa was effectively closing Eritrea’s embassy in the Ethiopian capital.

“Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails,” Eritrea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Late on Thursday, the African Union Commission urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt “to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions or statements that could worsen tensions and undermine regional peace and stability”, and to settle differences through diplomacy.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front that has been battling federal troops since last week. All three countries deny the accusation.

Sources

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