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

Ethiopia has recently expelled six Sudanese diplomats from the country, escalating a diplomatic dispute over alleged support for rival factions in their ongoing civil war. The Sudanese military-backed government blames Ethiopia for aiding the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023. Ethiopia, on the other hand, accuses Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea of backing Tigrayan rebels in its northern Tigray region.

The tensions between the two nations have heightened concerns that their conflicts could escalate into a broader crisis in the Horn of Africa. In response to the Ethiopian expulsion of Sudanese diplomats, Sudan has lodged formal complaints with the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council, accusing Addis Ababa of allowing the RSF to operate from its territory and launch suicide drones against Sudanese civilian infrastructure.

In a show of solidarity with Sudan, Ethiopia has responded by closing its consulate in the city of Qadaref, though the number of staff members working there remains undisclosed. Ethiopia denies any involvement in supporting the RSF in Sudan's civil war, a conflict that has forced over 14 million people to flee their homes, creating one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises since it began in April 2023.

Both countries deny allegations that they are backing rebel groups, with Ethiopia claiming that Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea are providing support to Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. Egypt and Ethiopia have also been involved in a separate dispute over a proposed Ethiopia-built dam on the Nile River, which Egypt fears will drastically reduce its share of the river's water.

In response to Ethiopia's expulsion of an Egyptian diplomat, Egypt retaliated by expelling a senior Ethiopian official from its embassy in Cairo.