Ethiopia and Eritrea Sever Diplomatic Ties Amid Escalating Northern Conflict

Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed diplomatic relations, a dramatic rupture between the Horn of Africa neighbours that comes as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia fuels fears of a broader regional war.

The breakdown unfolded on Thursday when Addis Ababa announced it was shutting its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and giving ten Eritrean diplomats 48 hours to leave Ethiopian territory. Ethiopian authorities accused the expelled envoys of engaging in activities that posed a direct threat to the country's national security, without providing detailed evidence for the claim.

Eritrea struck back hours later, announcing late on Thursday that it was cutting all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia. Its foreign ministry described Ethiopia's move as "astounding" and said Asmara had been left with no alternative but to respond in kind. The ministry also warned of unspecified "negative corollaries" stemming from the decision, hinting at further consequences to come.

The exchange marked a stunning reversal for two countries that had been military allies only a few years ago. Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, a devastating two-year conflict that an African Union mediator estimated claimed around 600,000 lives before a peace agreement halted the fighting in 2022.

Since that truce, relations have steadily unravelled. At the heart of the deterioration is Ethiopia's aggressive push for direct access to the Red Sea. Landlocked Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea gained independence in 1993, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly framed sea access as essential to his country's long-term economic survival and security. Asmara has viewed those ambitions with deep suspicion, accusing Addis Ababa of harbouring designs on its ports and of pursuing an increasingly hostile policy over the Red Sea.

The immediate trigger for the diplomatic collapse is Ethiopia's accusation that Eritrea has been supporting an alliance of armed groups fighting to overthrow Abiy's government. Last month, the TPLF joined six other armed movements, including the Fano militia from Amhara, to form a coalition whose stated goal is to remove the prime minister from power. Addis Ababa has alleged that Asmara is backing that alliance, a charge Eritrea has consistently denied.

A pro-government militia commander fighting in Tigray told the BBC that Eritrean soldiers had been directly involved on the front lines. The BBC has not independently verified that allegation, and independent verification of events on the ground remains difficult because access to the conflict zones is severely restricted.

In a rare interview with the BBC conducted before diplomatic relations were severed, Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected the accusations outright. He told BBC Tigrinya that Ethiopia's governing Prosperity Party was scapegoating neighbouring countries to distract attention from its own internal conflicts and problems, framing the allegations as a political diversion rather than a genuine security concern.

Hours before the diplomatic confrontation, powerful explosions rocked Addis Ababa overnight, including near Ethiopia's military headquarters and close to the headquarters of the national intelligence service. According to Reuters, a source linked to the opposition alliance said its forces had carried out drone attacks in the capital. Ethiopian authorities have not confirmed what caused the blasts, and no official reports of casualties or significant damage have been released. Residents in two areas of the city separately told the BBC they heard loud explosions during the night, with one person near the intelligence headquarters saying the blast was powerful enough to set off car alarms.

The explosions came shortly after Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service imposed an indefinite ban on drone flights over Addis Ababa and its surrounding areas, citing the need to protect senior officials, critical infrastructure and public events. The timing of the ban and the subsequent blasts has raised questions about the government's ability to control its airspace amid a widening security crisis.

Meanwhile, the fighting in the north continues to intensify. Federal forces and their allies appear to have made gains in southern Tigray and are advancing towards Mekelle, the regional capital. In Alamata, a doctor told the BBC earlier this week that at least 52 civilians had been killed over three days of intense fighting. More than 50 people have been killed since heavy fighting resumed in the region last week, underscoring the human cost of the renewed hostilities.

The conflict has also spread to neighbouring Afar, which lies along Ethiopia's crucial transport corridor to Djibouti and the sea. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have fled their homes there, adding to a growing displacement crisis in a region already scarred by previous rounds of violence.

Both sides blame each other for starting the latest hostilities. Tigrayan authorities say their forces were responding to a federal offensive and drone strikes, while Addis Ababa insists Tigrayan fighters launched attacks after seizing control of federally administered airports in Tigray. With each side offering a contradictory account, independent verification remains difficult, leaving civilians caught in the middle of a conflict that appears to be widening by the day.

The severing of ties between Ethiopia and Eritrea raises the prospect of a wider regional war, one that could draw in neighbouring states along the Red Sea corridor. For a region still recovering from one of the deadliest conflicts of the past decade, the collapse of diplomacy between two former allies signals that the fragile peace established in 2022 is under severe strain.