Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa orders closure of embassy in Asmara

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata on Thursday, prompting Asmara to sever all diplomatic ties with its neighbour after overnight blasts heard in Addis Ababa sparked fears about renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia spreading. Ethiopia and Eritrea broke diplomatic ties on Thursday, accusing each other of stoking internal conflicts as fighting continued in northern Ethiopia. Long-standing tensions between the two neighbours reached a crisis point after heavy fighting broke out last week between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020–2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

Ethiopia accused Eritrea of supporting the TPLF.