Eritrea announced Wednesday that it would sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, escalating tensions between the two Horn of Africa nations. The move came hours after Ethiopia's foreign ministry declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata and announced it would close its embassy in Asmara, giving the diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.
Ethiopia's foreign ministry accused Eritrea of "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia." In response, Eritrea's Foreign Ministry described Ethiopia's actions as an "unwarranted act of hostility" and said Asmara had no choice but to respond in kind by severing all diplomatic relations.
Eritrea rejected Ethiopia's accusations and instead accused Ethiopia of pursuing a hostile policy against Eritrea for the past three years. Asmara cited Addis Ababa's calls for sovereign access to the Red Sea as a source of tension. Eritrea also accused Ethiopia of hosting, training and arming Eritrean opposition groups seeking regime change.
Ethiopia's government has separately accused Eritrea, along with Sudan and Egypt, of supporting an opposition alliance fighting Ethiopian federal government forces. The alliance is led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which has been engaged in conflict with government-aligned forces since last week. Eritrea has denied allegations of supporting the opposition forces.
Ethiopia's embassy in Eritrea had been reopened in 2018 as part of a rapprochement between the two countries that contributed to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The current diplomatic rupture marks a significant reversal in relations between the neighboring nations.
Multiple explosions of unknown origin were reported Wednesday night at the headquarters of the Ethiopian military command in Addis Ababa, according to sources.