Ethiopia and Sudan have exchanged tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions, two Sudanese government officials confirmed on Wednesday, as tensions deepened over allegations that Addis Ababa has been backing Sudanese rebel forces.
According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours. Sudan responded in kind on Wednesday by directing Ethiopian diplomats to depart its territory.
Consulate Staff Declared Persona Non Grata
One government official told AFP that Ethiopia declared employees of the Sudanese consulate in Asosa, located in the Benishangul region, persona non grata on November 2, giving them two days to leave Ethiopian soil.
The diplomatic rift follows accusations from Sudan's army-aligned government, which is at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), that it has identified dozens of RSF attacks launched from Ethiopian territory. Addis Ababa has not publicly responded to those claims.
A Widening Regional Crisis
The expulsions mark a sharp deterioration in relations between the two neighboring states at a delicate moment for the region. Sudan's military government has been locked in a brutal conflict with the RSF, and any suggestion of outside support for the paramilitaries carries heavy political weight in Khartoum.
Ethiopia, for its part, has its own security concerns along the shared border, including in the Benishangul region where the consulate is based. The mutual expulsions risk further isolating both capitals diplomatically and complicating any future mediation efforts.
Observers say the row could ripple beyond the bilateral relationship, affecting regional bodies that have sought to broker peace in Sudan. Neither side has indicated a willingness to de-escalate, and the 48-hour deadlines leave little room for dialogue in the immediate term.
Hiascope will continue to monitor the situation as further details emerge.
