Ethiopia and Eritrea Break Diplomatic Ties Within Hours as Northern Fighting Widens
Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia hours after Addis Ababa ordered its embassy in Asmara closed and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata on Thursday, October 1, the formal status that requires a diplomat to leave. Ethiopia gave them 48 hours and accused Eritrea of hostile acts. Eritrea rejected the claims and said it had no option but to respond in kind, as Ethiopian federal forces fight an armed opposition alliance in the north.
Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said its measures answered Eritrea's "direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence." It said the 10 diplomats, who include the chargé d'affaires and staff accredited to the African Union, took part in activities that threaten national security and breach the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. T...