Ethiopia Expels Sudanese Diplomats and Closes Border Consulate Amid Rising Tensions

Ethiopian authorities have ordered six Sudanese diplomats to depart the country within 48 hours and have closed the Sudanese consulate in the border town of Asosa. The move was announced on Tuesday, reflecting a sharp increase in diplomatic friction between the two neighboring nations. Reports indicate that the staff members were required to leave by the end of the day, marking a significant escalation in their bilateral relations.

According to Reuters, which cited a senior Ethiopian official, the order was issued to six staff members of the Sudanese consulate in Assosa. The official requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic matter. The Associated Press also reported on the action, noting that an Ethiopian intelligence official confirmed the decision. A Sudanese official corroborated the expulsions, adding that Ethiopia’s foreign ministry had summoned the Sudanese ambassador on Sunday to formally announce the closure of the consulate.

The diplomatic staff departed on Tuesday evening. The Sudanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid further escalating the dispute, stated that neither side had provided a specific reason for the expulsions. This lack of explicit justification adds to the ambiguity surrounding the recent series of diplomatic actions between Addis Ababa and Khartoum.

The expulsions followed a formal complaint lodged by Sudan on Sunday with both the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. In this complaint, Sudan accused Ethiopia of allowing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, known as the RSF, to use its territory to launch deadly drone attacks against civilian infrastructure within Sudan. These allegations have intensified fears that the two ongoing conflicts in the region could merge into a broader war in the Horn of Africa.

Amjad Farid, a political and foreign affairs adviser for Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, commented on the situation. He stated that the Sudanese government remains committed to its right to defend its territory. However, he emphasized that the country is making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia. A direct military confrontation would place severe strain on the Sudanese military, which is already exhausted from intense battles with the RSF in the southeast of the country.

Ethiopia denies supporting the RSF in Sudan’s civil war. The conflict between Sudan’s military and the RSF began in 2023 and has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The war has also displaced more than 14 million individuals, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. The recent diplomatic spat occurs against this backdrop of widespread suffering and instability.

On Sunday, drone strikes targeted electricity substations in the northern Sudanese towns of Al-Dabbah and Abu Hamad, knocking out power in those areas. Sudan’s government and the rights group Emergency Lawyers blamed the RSF for these attacks. The wider campaign of strikes has disrupted electricity and water supplies, threatening essential medical services in the affected regions.

This latest diplomatic move follows a pattern of recent actions by Ethiopia. On October 1, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Eritrea. Eritrea responded by severing diplomatic ties entirely. Additionally, Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat last month. Relations with Egypt have long been strained due to disputes over Ethiopia’s massive dam on the Blue Nile, which Cairo fears could threaten its water supplies.

Ethiopia has also accused Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea of supporting Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. All three countries have denied these allegations. The cycle of accusations and counter-accusations continues to fuel regional anxiety as the Horn of Africa faces the prospect of a wider conflict involving multiple national armies and paramilitary groups.