By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
ADDIS ABABA, October 1, 2026 – Ethiopia has decided to close its embassy in Asmara and has declared ten Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, accusing Eritrea of "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence" against the country.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 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. They have been ordered to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.
The ministry urged the Eritrean government to "cease all acts that are contrary to the principles governing relations between sovereign states."
Despite the move, Ethiopia said it values its "strong historical, cultural, and people-to-people ties" with Eritrea and remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to working with countries in the Horn of Africa to advance lasting peace, security and regional integration.
Eritrea has denied allegations that it backs the opposition alliance currently fighting Ethiopian government forces.
More from Somalia
The decision comes days after Ethiopia's army chief, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing armed opposition groups as fighting spread across Tigray, Amhara and Afar. All three countries rejected the claims.
Fighting between Tigrayan forces and the federal government resumed in late September, after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seized airports in Mekelle, Aksum and Shire. The TPLF has joined a seven-group coalition, the "Alliance for Survival," which aims to remove the federal government.
Ethiopia reopened its embassy in Asmara in 2018, following a peace agreement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki that ended two decades of hostility after the 1998–2000 border war. The agreement earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.
Eritrean forces later fought alongside Ethiopian troops during the 2020–2022 Tigray war, but relations deteriorated after Eritrea was excluded from the Pretoria peace talks that ended that conflict.