Politics

Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after 10 diplomats expelled

Eritrea's foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it was cutting all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, in response to Addis Ababa's decision to expel ten Eritrean diplomats. The move coincides with renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, and Al Jazeera reports that Ethiopia had closed its embassy in Asmara. Separately, Egypt expelled an Ethiopian diplomat on Thursday on a reciprocal basis, after Ethiopia had expelled an Egyptian diplomat, according to RT Arabic.

سكاي نيوز عربيةThursday, October 1, 2026, 21:13Covered by 3 sources

Illustrative photo: Weathered white kiosk with a closed metal roller shutter beside a fence and green lawn. Photo by WinYee Chong on Unsplash

Why it matters

The break raises the risk of further tension in the Horn of Africa, which borders the Red Sea, a waterway vital to Arab shipping and trade. The expulsions exchanged with Egypt also point to a widening circle of diplomatic disputes involving Ethiopia in the region.

Background

Ethiopia and Eritrea are neighbors in the Horn of Africa and share a border. Their relations have gone through successive phases of tension and thaw, a pattern traced in a timeline published by Al Jazeera.

Key points

According to RT Arabic, Egypt said in its response that Ethiopia "pins its internal failure on external parties."

How outlets covered it

Sky News Arabia focused on Eritrea's announcement and its stated cause, the expulsion of ten Eritrean diplomats, and linked it to renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. Al Jazeera framed the story within a timeline of relations between the two countries and noted that Addis Ababa closed its embassy in Asmara before Eritrea announced the break. RT Arabic alone covered the Egyptian angle, reporting Cairo's reciprocal expulsion of an Ethiopian diplomat along with an Egyptian statement about Ethiopia's "internal failure." The material from the three outlets contains no conflicting figures or accounts; they differ in angle and detail.