Ethiopia expels six Sudanese consular staff and closes Assosa consulate

Expulsions and a closed consulate

Ethiopia has expelled six Sudanese consular staff and ordered Sudan's consulate in Assosa, a western Ethiopian town near the Sudanese border, closed. Ethiopian and Sudanese officials confirmed the move, and an Ethiopian intelligence official said the six were given 48 hours to leave. A Sudanese official said they departed on Tuesday evening, 3 November, and one account, citing an Ethiopian official who spoke to the Spanish agency EFE, says three military attachés were also included. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity and gave no specific reason for the decision. Ethiopian authorities had summoned Sudan's ambassador on Sunday, 1 November, to announce the closure, and the ambassador declined to comment. Unlike the expulsions of last month, Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry had not publicly announced these latest measures.

Retaliation and earlier expulsions

Sudan answered by closing an Ethiopian consulate-general in Gedaref and expelling its staff, officials told Reuters. Gedaref, about 161 kilometres from the Ethiopian border, is spelled Al-Kadarif in one report. The latest moves follow a larger round of expulsions. On 1 October Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Eritrea, and Eritrea responded by severing diplomatic ties. In October Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat. Egypt worries that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile could threaten its water supplies, and that dispute has long strained relations between the neighbours.

Eritrea (1 October)10

Sudan (3 November)6

Egypt (October)1

Eritrea (1 October)

10 diplomats

Sudan (3 November)

6 diplomats

Egypt (October)

1 diplomats

Data from the article text

Drone attacks and mutual accusations

Sudan accuses Ethiopia of letting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launch drone attacks on civilian infrastructure from Ethiopian territory. On Sunday, 1 November, Sudan filed a complaint with the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council. On Saturday, 31 October, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said the drones were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia. Ethiopia and the UAE have both denied arming the RSF, which has fought Sudan's military since April 2023. Drone strikes on electricity substations in Al-Dabbah and Abu Hamad, in northern Sudan, cut power on Sunday, and Sudan's government and the rights group Emergency Lawyers attributed the outages to the RSF. Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry had rejected similar accusations in a 5 May statement, calling them baseless.

Sudan's adviser Amjad Farid, who serves as political and foreign affairs adviser to the Transitional Sovereign Council, struck a cautious tone.

“The Sudanese government remains committed to its right to defend its territory. Nevertheless, it is making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia.”

Tigray rebels and a wider regional conflict

Ethiopia accuses Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of supporting Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. Notícias ao Minuto reports that the Tigray People's Liberation Front announced a 'defensive war' against Addis Ababa on 23 September. The Front belongs to an alliance of seven rebel and opposition groups seeking to topple the Ethiopian government, which also accuses Eritrea of arming the insurgents. Ethiopia has accused Sudan's military of backing rebels linked to the Front, a charge Khartoum denied. All three countries reject the accusations against them. The African Union says at least 600,000 people died in the 2020 to 2022 war between the Front and the federal government, and fears of a larger conflict are growing.

Sudan's war and the humanitarian toll

Sudan has been devastated since April 2023 by a war between its army and the RSF, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced about 14 million people, according to the UN. The UN calls it the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe. Al Jazeera reports that the army is still fighting intense battles with the RSF in the southeast, and that a direct confrontation with Ethiopia would further strain an already exhausted military. The wider campaign has disrupted electricity and water supplies and threatened essential medical services.