Ethiopia: Embassy shut in Eritrea, 10 diplomats expelled

Ethiopia on Thursday announced it was shutting its embassy in Eritrea and also declared ten Eritrean diplomats "persona non grata", accused them of involvement in activities that threatened national security.

The embassy ​in Eritrea had been reopened in 2018 as ​part of ⁠the rapprochement that culminated in Prime ⁠Minister ​Abiy Ahmed receiving the Nobel Peace Prize .

A statement issued by Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said the action was being taken "in response to Eritrea's direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia."

With regard to the expulsion of the Eritrean diplomats, Addis Ababa said that it was "for involvement in activities that pose a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security."

The Eritrean diplomats were given 48 hours to leave the country.

The measures came following reports of an explosion overnight at Ethiopian military headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The AFP news agency reported that the explosion took place at the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) headquarters between midnight and 1:00am local time, citing diplomatic and security sources with the information.

The sources could not provide further information relating to the nature of the blast or who was responsible, or if there had been any casualties.

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