ADDIS ABABA – In a sharp escalation of diplomatic hostilities, Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country, according to a senior Ethiopian official cited by Reuters.
The directive marks a profound new setback in relations between the two neighboring nations, which have increasingly traded accusations of supporting each other’s armed rivals.
The diplomatic fallout follows a turbulent week defined by formal complaints lodged by Sudan’s army-aligned government with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.
Khartoum accused Addis Ababa of “blatant aggression,” alleging that Ethiopian territory has been utilized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to launch drone strikes against civilian infrastructure and military positions inside Sudan. Furthermore, Sudanese officials have alleged that a local military base was used to supply the RSF with arms and equipment.
Both governments have systematically denied the allegations. While Khartoum claims Ethiopia is backing the paramilitary group, Addis Ababa maintains counter-accusations that Sudan is providing sanctuary and support to rebel groups operating in its northern Tigray region.
The worsening diplomatic rupture has heightened international anxiety regarding the security architecture of the Horn of Africa.
Analysts warn that as cross-border military accusations mount compounded by overlapping geopolitical frictions involving regional actors the risk that the internal conflicts in Sudan and northern Ethiopia will spill over into a broader regional conflagration continues to grow.
