Ethiopia and Eritrea break diplomatic ties over conflict

• Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing a rebel group, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched a major assault against government forces last week, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

A file photo of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Ethiopia and Eritrea broke diplomatic ties on Thursday, accusing each other of stoking internal conflicts as fighting continued in northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing a rebel group, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched a major assault against government forces last week, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people.

Addis Ababa said it was expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats who "pose a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security" and would shut its embassy in Asmara.

Eritrea's foreign ministry responded shortly after that it "has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia".

Hundreds have been killed and wounded since heavy fighting resumed in northern Ethiopia last week.

The TPLF, which dominates the state of Tigray, launched attacks into neighbouring Afar and Amhara states, fighting alongside local militias.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has yet to comment on the crisis, is due to be sworn in for a new term on Monday after winning elections in June.

But he faces conflict on multiple fronts as several armed groups have formed an alliance against him.

- Regional tensions -

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat, without giving a reason.

The two countries have also been at odds -- particularly over a mega dam being built by Ethiopia on the River Nile -- and Egypt has built closer ties with Eritrea in recent months.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and they fought a brutal border war from 1998 to 2000.

Ties improved when Abiy came to power in 2018, and the two countries even fought together against the Tigrayans during the last civil war.

But relations then deteriorated sharply, with Eritrea voicing fears that landlocked Ethiopia intended to invade and seize access to the Red Sea.

Ethiopia "has been pursuing an agenda of incessant hostility... against Eritrea for three years in pursuit of 'the imperative of acquiring sovereign access to the sea' through the invasion of sovereign Eritrean ports and coastal areas," the Eritrean foreign ministry said on Thursday.

- Explosion -

Meanwhile, an overnight explosion at the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) headquarters in Addis Ababa raised fears that the army's conflict with rebel groups had reached the capital for the first time.

Diplomatic and security sources confirmed the blast but could not say its cause or who was responsible, nor give any casualty figures.

"The explosion took place at the HQ and was powerful. It shook the surrounding area and triggered significant panic among people in the vicinity," a worker at a nearby bar told AFP, relaying what he said was information from colleagues there working at the time.

Neither the prime minister's office nor the army spokesperson responded to AFP requests for comment.

On Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Services ordered a ban on all drone flights around the capital.

Conflict monitor ACLED said drones suspected to be linked to the anti-government alliance targeted army and civilian airports in Oromia and Amhara states on Sunday.

- Clashes ongoing -

On the frontlines of the internal fighting in northern Ethiopia, there were signs that the Tigrayan rebels were being pushed back on Thursday.

A humanitarian source told AFP the TPLF had been dislodged from the town of Erebti in Afar, which it seized earlier this week, and was now fighting near the mountainous border between Afar and Tigray.

A pro-government militia said on X it had retaken Erebti, as well as Maychew town in southern Tigray.

Locals interviewed by AFP earlier this week said Maychew had endured heavy shelling.

Verification is difficult as media are prevented from travelling to affected areas and there are significant communications disruptions.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had registered more than 420 wounded at Korem and Alamata hospitals in Tigray by September 25, and more than 300 at Shire in western Tigray.

The humanitarian source estimated that tens of thousands have fled their homes in Afar.