Eritrea cuts diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa.

Eritrea today announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, a drastic step marking the escalation of a long-simmering conflict. The move is a direct response to Addis Ababa's decision to close its embassy in Asmara and expel ten Eritrean diplomats. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry stated it had "no other option but to reciprocate and cut all diplomatic ties," accusing Ethiopia of pursuing an agenda of hostility, including infiltrating its coastal areas and supporting armed groups.

The rupture comes as fighting between rebel forces led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian army continues in the north of the country. Tensions are fueled by the dispute over landlocked Ethiopia's access to the Red Sea and by mutual accusations of support for rebel groups. The escalation has already involved other regional actors: Egypt and Sudan have expelled Ethiopian diplomats, accusing Addis Ababa of interference in their internal conflicts.

Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have historically been fragile. Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962, sparking an independence war led by the current president, Isaias Afwerki, which resulted in secession in 1993. The two countries then fought a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000. A period of détente began in 2018 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed normalized relations, to the extent that during Ethiopia's civil war (2020–2022), Eritrea supported the government against the TPLF.

The current crisis has its roots in Ethiopia's ambitions to gain access to the sea. Abiy Ahmed has publicly reiterated his country's right to access the Red Sea, statements interpreted by Eritrea as a territorial threat. Meanwhile, Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of supporting the TPLF and the Alliance for Survival, a rebel coalition fighting in northern Ethiopia. These tensions have reignited old rivalries, intertwining with conflicts in Sudan and the historic dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over Nile waters, creating a dangerous tangle of interconnected regional crises.