Egypt Expels Ethiopian Embassy Advisor After Addis Ababa Takes Similar Action

Egypt has expelled an Ethiopian diplomat from its country, a move described as a response after Ethiopia hours earlier declared an Egyptian diplomat to be persona non grata , and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.

A statement from Cairo indicates that Egypt announced the Ethiopian diplomat, who is a counselor at the Ethiopian embassy in Cairo , as a person not needed in the country, giving him a period of 48 hours to exit.

This action came shortly after Addis Ababa's decision regarding an Egyptian diplomat, as on Thursday, October 1, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially informed the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa that Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman , a member of the Egyptian diplomatic staff, was declared persona non grata and required to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.

Ethiopia stated that the decision was made in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but the official report did not detail the specific reason for the diplomat's expulsion, although tensions between the two sides are rooted in the conflict in northern Ethiopia, which countries including Egypt have been accused of being involved in.

Egypt viewed Ethiopia's action as unnecessary, with informed Egyptian sources stating that Cairo consistently rejects interference in the internal affairs of other countries and has asserted its respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.

The expulsion of diplomats comes at a time when tensions are rising between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Eritrea. On the same day that Ethiopia expelled the Egyptian diplomat, Addis Ababa also announced that it would close its embassy in Asmara, expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats whom it accused of being involved in activities that Ethiopia described as a direct threat to its national security.

Eritrea also later announced that it would cut diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, as the sequential actions of Addis Ababa and Cairo indicate that the relationship between the two countries has entered a critical phase.