Ethiopia to close embassy in Asmara — Jerusalem Post

Ethiopia will close its embassy in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, and has declared ten Eritrean diplomats in Ethiopia persona non grata. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this on Thursday, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Statement by Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry

In a statement, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry accused Eritrea of “direct and indirect hostile and belligerent acts against Ethiopia.” The statement provided no specific details regarding the closure of the diplomatic mission, the declaration of the diplomats as persona non grata, or the actions that Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry attributes to Eritrea.

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Eritrea’s Denial

Eritrea denied allegations that it supports an opposition alliance that has been fighting Ethiopian government forces since last week. Thus, the claim of support for the alliance is the position of the Ethiopian side, which Eritrea rejects.

The Ethiopian embassy in Eritrea resumed operations in 2018 as part of the rapprochement between the two countries. This rapprochement brought Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize.