Ethiopia and Eritrea sever diplomatic ties as northern fighting escalates

Ethiopia and Eritrea broke diplomatic ties on Thursday, accusing each other of stoking internal conflicts as fighting continued in northern Ethiopia.

Long-standing tensions between the two neighbours reached a crisis point after heavy fighting broke out last week between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020–2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

Ethiopia accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF.

Addis Ababa said it was expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats who “pose a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security” and would shut its embassy in Asmara.