BREAKING: Ethiopia expels Egyptian diplomat and gives him 48 hours to leave

Addis Ababa (Caasimada Online) — The Ethiopian government expelled a diplomat from the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa on Thursday, giving him 48 hours to leave the country, as relations between the two countries face escalating tensions.

Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a diplomatic note dated October 1 that Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman, a member of the diplomatic staff at the Egyptian embassy, was declared persona non grata — meaning an unwanted person in the country.

“The Ministry hereby informs the embassy that Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman has been declared persona non grata,” the note said.

The Ministry added that Soliman is required to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.

Ethiopia did not specify the reason for expelling the Egyptian diplomat, nor did it present any specific allegations against him.

This action comes at a time when relations between Addis Ababa and Cairo are deteriorating again, as both sides are embroiled in a dispute over the Nile River and Ethiopia's major dam, the GERD, while Addis Ababa recently accused Egypt of interfering in its internal affairs.

Ethiopian military chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan on Sunday of supporting armed groups against the federal government of Ethiopia, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Birhanu did not provide any public evidence to support these allegations.

Egypt has strongly denied the allegations. The spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nader Zaki, stated that his country's foreign policy is based on respect for the sovereignty of nations and non-interference in their internal affairs.

"Egypt's foreign policy is based on solid principles, foremost among them respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of countries, and non-interference in their internal affairs," Zaki said.

He added that any allegations that cast doubt on that position are "baseless."

The tension has escalated as heavy fighting has once again erupted in northern Ethiopia, particularly in the areas near Tigray, Amhara, and Afar, raising new concerns about the future of the Pretoria agreement that ended the conflict between the federal government and Tigray forces in 2022.

Action Against Eritrea

On the other hand, Ethiopia took a diplomatic action against Eritrea on Thursday, announcing that it would close its embassy in Asmara and giving 10 Eritrean diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.

Addis Ababa accused those diplomats of being involved in activities that it claimed posed a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security.

Eritrea denied those accusations and announced that it would downgrade its diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, also accusing Addis Ababa of conflict-driven policies.

The conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia has also long been rooted in the GERD dam.

Cairo insists that the dam operation should be based on a legally binding agreement that protects the water shares of downstream countries, while Ethiopia argues that it has the right to utilize the Nile for its electricity and economic development.

So far, the Ethiopian government has not linked the expulsion of Soliman to the Nile dispute or the northern conflicts, nor has it announced plans for further actions against the Egyptian embassy.