Sudan, Ethiopia order tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions

What the report says

Ethiopia and Sudan have moved to expel each other’s diplomats amid a sharp rise in tensions between the two neighbours, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on Ethiopian and Sudanese officials. Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave within 48 hours and shut Sudan’s consulate in Asosa, a border town in western Ethiopia. The step follows Sudan’s accusation that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have used Ethiopian territory to launch drone attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Sudan, which has been at war with the RSF since April 2023, brought its complaint to the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on Sunday. A Sudanese official said Khartoum still wants to avoid direct war with Ethiopia, even while asserting its right to defend its territory. Sudan’s military has repeatedly alleged that Ethiopia is helping the RSF; Addis Ababa denies that claim.

Ethiopia, for its part, says the Sudanese military supports rebels tied to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, an allegation Sudan rejects. The dispute comes against a broader backdrop of regional friction, including Ethiopia’s recent expulsions of Eritrean and Egyptian diplomats. As a general matter, the Red Sea and Horn of Africa region has seen overlapping conflicts and rivalries that make such diplomatic moves especially significant.