Ethiopia has ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave the country.
The decision was announced by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 1, 2026, which said the measures were taken in response to what it described as Eritrea’s “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” against Ethiopia.
In its statement, the ministry said the 10 Eritrean diplomats had been declared persona non grata because of their alleged involvement in activities that posed a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security. It said their activities were also in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Ethiopia did not publicly provide details of the specific activities it attributed to the diplomats. Ethiopia ordered the 10 officials to leave within 48 hours.
The move came as relations between the two neighbouring countries were already under severe strain amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups fighting the Ethiopian government, an allegation Eritrea has rejected.
Despite announcing the diplomatic measures, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said it continued to value the historical, cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
“Ethiopia values its strong historical, cultural, and people-to-people ties with Eritrea,” the ministry said, while reaffirming its stated commitment to peaceful coexistence, regional stability and integration.
The ministry also called on the Eritrean government to stop what Ethiopia described as actions contrary to the principles governing relations between sovereign states. It said Addis Ababa remained committed to resolving disputes peacefully and working with countries across the Horn of Africa to promote peace, security and regional integration.
The diplomatic dispute quickly escalated beyond Ethiopia’s initial announcement. Eritrea later said it was severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, arguing it had no choice but to respond to Addis Ababa’s expulsion of its diplomats. Eritrea rejected Ethiopia’s allegations of hostile activities and accused the Ethiopian government of pursuing its own hostile agenda.
The breakdown in relations comes as fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and armed opposition groups has intensified in northern Ethiopia. Reuters reported that the renewed conflict represents the most serious fighting in the country since the 2020–2022 civil war, while the African Union Commission has called on Ethiopia, Eritrea and other involved countries to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue.
The closure of Ethiopia’s embassy in Asmara and Eritrea’s subsequent decision to sever diplomatic ties mark a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries, which had restored diplomatic relations in 2018 after years of hostility following their 1998–2000 war. The latest developments now leave the two neighbours without normal diplomatic relations as fighting continues in northern Ethiopia.
