Ethiopia expels 10 Eritrean diplomats as tensions between neighbors escalate

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out of the country Thursday and closed its embassy in Eritrea, sharply escalating tensions between the neighbors hours after blasts were heard across the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa and as fighting raged in the northern region of the country.Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry gave the diplomats 48 hours to leave Addis Ababa, citing their “involvement in activities that pose a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security." Ethiopia last week accused Eritrea of financing rebels in the Tigray region, who took control of several towns in renewed fighting against federal forces.Eritrea's Foreign Ministry called the move “astounding” and said it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails.”An intelligence service official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that there had been three blasts in three different locations in Addis Ababa overnight, but declined to provide further details.A diplomatic source who requested anonymity for his safety described hearing a blast at 7 p.m. near the defense headquarters, followed by a siren. Residents near the defense headquarters also said they heard a blast near a factory in the area past midnight.It remains unclear whether the blasts were related to an attack or were part of training exercises at the defense headquarters.The explosions came hours after the National Intelligence and Security Service banned the flying of drones in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas.In Tigray, the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front recently took over the region's main airport, forcing a suspension of flights.The Tigray People's Liberation Front Chairperson, Debretsion Gebremichael, on Thursday said the fighting was a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would keep attacking and defending Tigray from its enemies.The United Nations has called for de-escalation of the fighting and dialogue between the government and seven opposition groups that recently formed an alliance to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.The renewed fighting has shattered a 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war in Tigray.

The TPLF is an armed political group based in Tigray, and for years it was the dominant party in a coalition that ruled Ethiopia betw…