African Union urges Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise restraint — Anadolu Agency

The African Union Commission has called on Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint amid rising tensions between the three countries. In a statement, the commission stressed the need to avoid actions and statements that could escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.

Call for dialogue

The commission said it was following the escalation with concern and urged the states to keep communication channels open. It proposed resolving differences through established diplomatic mechanisms and peaceful dialogue in accordance with the principles of the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

As Anadolu Agency reports, the African Union Commission also expressed its readiness, following consultations with the countries concerned, to support de-escalation, dialogue and a peaceful settlement of differences.

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Diplomatic steps by Ethiopia and Eritrea

In a diplomatic note sent to the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared embassy employee Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman persona non grata. He was ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

On the same day, Ethiopia decided to close its embassy in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, and declared ten Eritrean diplomats persona non grata. In response, Eritrea decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.

These decisions came amid renewed clashes between Ethiopia's federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the north of the country. The tensions are also linked to disagreements over landlocked Ethiopia's access to Red Sea ports, longstanding disputes between Egypt and Ethiopia over water resources and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as well as changes in military and security alliances in the Horn of Africa.