Ethiopia Closes Eritrea Embassy and Expels Diplomats Amid National Security Threat

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has officially closed its embassy in Eritrea and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to exit the country within 48 hours, marking a severe escalation in regional tensions.

According to Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, the diplomats were declared persona non grata due to activities that posed a “direct threat” to national security.

In a reciprocal move, Addis Ababa shut down its diplomatic mission in Asmara, citing Eritrea’s ongoing “acts of hostility and belligerence.”

Eritrea has fiercely denied the accusations, countering that Ethiopia is pursuing inherently hostile policies. Asmara announced it will completely sever all diplomatic ties with its neighbor in retaliation.

On Friday, video from Addis Ababa showed a shuttered Eritrean embassy, with stranded visitors outside and trucks leaving the compound before gates were locked by security guards.

The sudden collapse in relations comes just years after a historic diplomatic restoration in 2018. The current fallout is deeply tied to renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) alongside its allies.

Ethiopia alleges that Eritrea is actively backing a new militant coalition—a claim Asmara continues to deny.