The Horn of Africa’s fragile peace prize reunion just got shredded. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out within 48 hours, accusing them of threatening national security — and Eritrea answered by severing all diplomatic ties, BBC and Al Jazeera reported.
“Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia,” Asmara’s foreign ministry said, warning of “negative corollaries.” Addis Ababa says Eritrea backs a rebel alliance fighting in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar; Eritrea denies involvement. Explosions were also reported near Ethiopia’s Defence Ministry in Addis Ababa early Thursday.
The rupture reverses the 2018 rapprochement that helped earn Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize. Landlocked Ethiopia’s push for Red Sea access and a renewed northern conflict — with tens of thousands displaced and at least 52 civilians reported killed in Alamata — have analysts warning the fight could pull in Sudan and further strain Egypt over the Nile dam dispute.
The African Union urged restraint. The UN flagged drone strikes and road closures choking humanitarian access. Diplomacy left the building. The war risk stayed.
Sources: BBC; Al Jazeera; Xinhua
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