Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered ten Eritrean diplomats out of Addis Ababa, and Eritrea has responded by severing all diplomatic ties, in a sharp deterioration of relations between two Horn of Africa neighbours. According to reports published in early October 2026, Ethiopia declared the Eritrean diplomats persona non grata and gave them 48 hours to leave.
What Each Government Said
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry cited what it described as “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” by Eritrea, according to Eye Radio. The ministry alleged that the diplomats had been involved in activities that pose a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security, in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The same statement said Addis Ababa values its historical, cultural and people-to-people ties with Eritrea and remains committed to peaceful coexistence and regional stability.
Eritrea’s foreign ministry replied that it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia”, CNBC Africa reported. Neither government’s allegations or counter-positions have been independently verified in the sources reviewed.
A Wider Regional Backdrop
CNBC Africa linked the move to overnight explosions in Addis Ababa and an escalating confrontation between Ethiopia’s federal government and an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition forces, accusations that all three countries deny, the outlet said. Ethiopia also declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata, and Egypt reportedly responded by expelling an Ethiopian counsellor.
The African Union Commission urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise “maximum restraint” and to resolve their differences through established diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue, according to Eye Radio. CNBC Africa noted that Ethiopia’s embassy in Eritrea had reopened in 2018 as part of a rapprochement between the two countries, and that their militaries fought side by side against the TPLF during the 2020-2022 conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Why It Matters
Embassy closures and expulsions are among the more serious steps short of armed confrontation, and they remove the quiet channels through which governments normally manage disputes. With three states in the Horn and Nile basin now trading diplomatic expulsions, the risk is that an internal political and security crisis in Ethiopia becomes a regional one. Much will depend on whether the African Union and neighbouring states can open a line of mediation before positions harden further, and on whether the allegations made by each side can be tested through any credible, independent process.
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