Sudan and Ethiopia in tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats as tensions rise

Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, escalating a diplomatic dispute over allegations of supporting each other's rivals in ongoing conflicts. Sudan's military-backed government accused Ethiopia of backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023.

Ethiopia, in turn, claims Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea are providing support to rebels in Tigray. Despite these allegations, both sides deny the claims, with fears that the conflicts could escalate into a broader war in the Horn of Africa. Sudan responded to the Ethiopian expulsion by closing its consulate in Qadaref, though the number of staff involved remains unclear.

Ethiopia denies supporting Sudan's RSF, which has been fighting the SAF in a civil war that has displaced over 14 million people, creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises since its outbreak in April 2023. The conflict has already strained relations between Ethiopia and Egypt, who expelled each other's diplomats in a recent tit-for-tat over a Nile dam project that Egypt alleges will severely reduce its share of the river's water.