The break in Eritrea Ethiopia diplomatic ties marks a sharp new low for two neighbours with a long history of mistrust. Eritrea announced it was severing relations on Thursday, just hours after Ethiopia moved to close its embassy in Asmara and expel Eritrean diplomats, all while fighting inside Ethiopia grows more serious by the day.

Tit-for-Tat Moves in a Single Day

The sequence unfolded quickly. Ethiopia first said it would shut its embassy in Asmara, citing what it called direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence by Eritrea.

Addis Ababa also declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata. They include the charge d’affaires and staff accredited to the African Union. Ethiopia accused them of activities that threaten national security and gave them 48 hours to leave.

Eritrea’s foreign ministry answered almost immediately. It said it had no choice but to respond in kind and cut all diplomatic links, warning of negative consequences that will follow.

Two Governments, Two Stories

Eritrea strongly rejects the accusation that it is behind hostile activity, calling the claims astounding. It turns the charge around, saying Ethiopia is the one pursuing a campaign of constant hostility. Asmara says Addis Ababa has tried to force its way to the Red Sea through war, and that it hosts, trains and arms Eritrean opposition groups to fuel unrest at home.

Ethiopia, for its part, accuses Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. That alliance has been fighting federal forces since last week.

Egypt Pulled Into the Row

The diplomatic fallout did not stop at Eritrea. Ethiopia also ordered an Egyptian diplomat to leave within 48 hours, according to state broadcaster reports. Egypt replied the same way, expelling an Ethiopian embassy counsellor and giving him 48 hours as well.

Fighting on the Ground

The military situation is worsening. Explosions were heard in Addis Ababa on Wednesday and Thursday. Fighters have also clashed with government troops in the northern Afar region, where a senior regional official claimed Eritrean soldiers crossed the border to join the alliance’s offensive.

This is the most serious escalation since the 2020 to 2022 civil war ended.

International Concern

Three US lawmakers, Ilhan Omar, Jim McGovern and John Garamendi, urged all sides to recommit to peace talks immediately. They warned that the violence threatens Ethiopia and the wider region, which is already strained by the earlier northern war and the conflict in Sudan. Civilians, they stressed, are paying the heaviest price.

A Relationship That Has Never Been Easy

The roots of the rivalry run deep:

• Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962
• An independence struggle led by today’s president, Isaias Afwerki, won freedom in 1993
• Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made peace overtures after taking office in 2018
• Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia’s government in the Tigray war
• Eritrea was not part of the Pretoria Peace Agreement that ended that war in November 2022, and relations soured soon afterward

Abiy’s repeated claim that landlocked Ethiopia has a right to sea access has added fuel. Officials in Asmara hear it as a declaration of territorial ambition.

What to Watch Next

• Whether the fighting spreads beyond Afar and Addis Ababa
• Any evidence that confirms or disproves claims of Eritrean or Egyptian involvement
• Whether regional bodies or major powers push both sides back to talks
• How the Ethiopia-Egypt dispute develops

The Bottom Line

With embassies closing, diplomats leaving and battles continuing, the Horn of Africa faces a dangerous moment. Old grievances over borders and sea access are resurfacing just as a fragile peace unravels, and civilians stand to suffer most if diplomacy fails to catch up with events.