Ethiopia-Eritrea Rapprochement Unravels as Asmara Moves to Cut Diplomatic Relations
Eritrea has announced that it will sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa decided to close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats, marking the most serious rupture in relations since the neighbours began their rapprochement in 2018.
The diplomatic opening launched between Ethiopia and Eritrea eight years ago is facing its deepest crisis yet after a rapid exchange of punitive measures.
Ethiopia announced on October 1, 2026 that it would close its embassy in Asmara. It also declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, accusing them of activities threatening national security and ordering them to leave within 48 hours.
Eritrea rejected Ethiopia’s allegations and responded by announcing that it would reciprocate.
Asmara said it would sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, taking the confrontation from escalating rhetoric to a formal diplomatic rupture.
Eritrea accused Ethiopia of pursuing hostile policies, supporting Eritrean armed opposition groups and harbouring ambitions involving Eritrean coastal territory. Ethiopia, meanwhile, says Eritrean activities have threatened its national security.
The neighbours had maintained highly restricted relations for almost two decades after their 1998–2000 border war. That changed in 2018, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki launched a rapprochement and diplomatic missions were reopened.
Relations began deteriorating again after the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, and the latest exchange represents the clearest sign yet that the post-2018 diplomatic opening has broken down.
The consequences could extend beyond bilateral diplomacy, given the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and the strategic importance of the wider Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.