Ethiopia and Eritrea sever ties as Tigray fighting risks a wider regional conflict
Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave; Eritrea retaliated by cutting diplomatic ties. The rupture comes as federal forces fight a rebel alliance in northern Ethiopia, while Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the rebels—a charge they deny.
Bottom line — The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to show restraint as fighting spreads across Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
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Ethiopia says the Eritrean diplomats posed a national-security threat; Eritrea rejects the accusation and says Addis Ababa covets its ports.
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The fighting pits federal forces against an alliance that includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front and Amhara Fano forces, former allies of the government.
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The renewed clashes threaten the 2022 peace agreement that ended the previous Tigray war, according to Amnesty International.
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Ethiopia has also expelled an Egyptian diplomat; Egypt responded by ordering an Ethiopian embassy counsellor to leave. Both countries deny Ethiopia's allegations of foreign support for the rebels.
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Ethiopia's push for Red Sea access and disputes over the Blue Nile dam add to tensions with Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan, Reuters reports.
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Amnesty International says reports of air strikes, damaged schools and forced conscription raise concerns for civilians; communications disruptions are hindering independent monitoring.
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Reuters reports that Sudan hosted meetings that led to the rebel alliance's formation; some Tigrayan forces have also fought alongside Sudan's army.