Sudan and Ethiopia order tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, Asosa consulate closed

Amid mutual accusations, Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours. Sudan's consulate in the border town of Asosa has also been closed, according to officials from both countries. The orders came on Tuesday.

At the centre of the tension between the two neighbours is Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan accuses the RSF of using Ethiopian territory to launch drone attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

On Sunday, Sudan lodged a formal complaint against Ethiopia with both the United Nations Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of allowing the RSF to use its territory to launch deadly drone attacks against civilian infrastructure in Sudan.

Amjad Farid, political and foreign affairs adviser for Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, said the Sudanese government remains committed to its right to defend its territory, but is making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia.

A direct military confrontation would severely strain Sudan's already exhausted military apparatus, which is still involved in intense battles with the RSF in the southeast of the country.

Sudan's military has repeatedly accused Ethiopia of aiding the RSF, which it has been fighting in a civil war since April 2023. Addis Ababa denies that it supports the RSF in Sudan's civil war.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, has accused the Sudanese military of backing rebels linked to the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Khartoum has denied the charge.

Ethiopia has also accused Egypt and Eritrea of supporting the Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. All three countries have rejected the accusations.

The expulsion of the Sudanese diplomats follows another diplomatic rupture. On October 1, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Eritrea. Eritrea responded by severing diplomatic ties.

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat last month. For Egypt, the dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remains a major strategic concern that has long strained relations between the neighbours.