Ethiopia and Eritrea Sever Diplomatic Ties as Tigray Conflict Reignites

The formal collapse of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea was finalized on Thursday when Addis Ababa ordered ten Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours. By invoking the Vienna Convention to declare the envoys persona non grata, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs severed the last official channel capable of managing the escalating military crisis in the Horn of Africa.[1][3]

The expulsion order immediately triggered a reciprocal diplomatic rupture. Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations hours later, confirming a complete break in bilateral ties and accusing the Ethiopian government of maintaining a de facto declaration of war for three years.[3][4]

“Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails,” the Eritrean Foreign Ministry stated.[2]

The diplomatic severing follows a direct attack on the Ethiopian capital. Drones struck near the headquarters of Ethiopia’s military and other sites in Addis Ababa late Wednesday, prompting the National Intelligence and Security Service to ban all drone flights in the surrounding areas.[6]

A source linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the strikes on behalf of the rebel group. The attack marks a severe escalation in a conflict that resumed last week, shattering the 2022 ceasefire that ended a devastating two-year civil war.[6]

The Collapse of the 2018 Peace

The shuttering of embassies dismantles the diplomatic architecture established by the 2018 peace agreement, which formally ended 20 years of war between the two nations. That accord earned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.[2][4]

During the 2020–2022 Tigray war, Eritrean forces fought alongside the Ethiopian federal military against the TPLF. However, relations deteriorated sharply after Addis Ababa signed the Pretoria peace agreement with the Tigrayan leadership in November 2022, a deal Asmara viewed as a strategic threat.[2][5]

Now, the alliances have inverted. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs justified the embassy closure by accusing Eritrea of arming and hosting proxy rebel groups seeking regime change in Addis Ababa.[3]

“The decision was made in response to Eritrea’s direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia,” the ministry declared, adding that the expelled diplomats were involved in activities threatening national security.[1][3]

A Widening Northern Front

On the battlefield, the resumption of hostilities has already displaced thousands. The TPLF, which dominates the northern state of Tigray, launched fresh offensives last week into the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, fighting alongside local militias.[2]

Rebel forces recently seized control of three key airports in the region, forcing Ethiopian Airlines to suspend commercial flights to Tigray. The advance was accompanied by widespread communications and internet blackouts, mirroring the isolation tactics used during the previous war.[3][5]

Government-aligned forces claim to have retaken several towns from Tigrayan fighters in recent days. However, independent verification of territorial control remains impossible due to the restricted access and severed communication lines across the northern fronts.[2]

The United Nations has called for an immediate de-escalation of the fighting and urged dialogue between the federal government and a newly formed alliance of seven opposition groups challenging Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.[1]

Regional Spillover and Proxy Alignments

The diplomatic collapse between Addis Ababa and Asmara is accelerating a broader geopolitical realignment across the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is currently facing deepening friction with multiple neighbors over its pursuit of sovereign ports and coastal areas to secure maritime access.[3][4]

In a coordinated diplomatic maneuver on Thursday, Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat, Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman. The foreign ministry gave the envoy 48 hours to depart, delivering a formal diplomatic note to the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa.[3]

Egypt and Eritrea have recently strengthened their military cooperation, driven by shared opposition to Ethiopia’s regional policies. Cairo remains locked in a bitter dispute with Addis Ababa over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.[3][5]

Sudan’s military government has also entered the diplomatic fray. On Sunday, the Sudanese Armed Forces rejected accusations from Ethiopian military chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula that Khartoum and Cairo were backing the TPLF.[3]

The Diplomatic Void

Sudan countered by accusing Ethiopia of facilitating weapons deliveries and hosting training facilities for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Sudanese army spokesperson Asim Awad Abdelwahab stated that kamikaze drones launched against Sudan were supplied through Ethiopian territory.[3]

With embassies closed and envoys expelled, the region lacks the formal bilateral channels required to manage these overlapping crises. The absence of direct communication increases the probability that border skirmishes or proxy engagements will trigger a wider interstate conflict.[2][4]

The 10 Eritrean diplomats ordered to leave Ethiopia include the chargé d'affaires and envoys accredited to the African Union. Their departure removes the primary mechanism for emergency de-escalation just as heavy fighting resumes across the northern highlands.[3]