The African Union has urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint as diplomatic tensions deepen across the Horn of Africa, warning against actions that could further destabilise the region.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the African Union Commission said it was closely following the escalating tensions and called on all three countries to avoid moves or rhetoric that could worsen the situation.
The commission urged Addis Ababa, Asmara and Cairo to keep diplomatic channels open and resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue in line with the African Union’s founding principles.
“The AU Commission stands ready, in consultation with the countries concerned, to support efforts towards de-escalation, dialogue and the peaceful resolution of differences,” it said.
The appeal came after a sharp deterioration in Ethiopia’s relations with both Eritrea and Egypt.
Ethiopia on Thursday ordered the closure of its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, accusing Eritrea of supporting forces opposed to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Eritrea rejected the allegations and responded by severing diplomatic relations with Ethiopia.
The diplomatic rupture coincides with renewed fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in northern Ethiopia, raising fears that the conflict could draw in neighbouring countries.
Ethiopian military officials have accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the TPLF and allied opposition forces. Eritrea and Sudan have denied the accusations.
Tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt also intensified after Addis Ababa declared Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 48 hours. Cairo subsequently announced a reciprocal expulsion of an Ethiopian diplomat.
The widening dispute comes against a backdrop of several long-running regional flashpoints.
Ethiopia and Egypt remain at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, while relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated over Addis Ababa’s push for greater access to the Red Sea.
Those disputes, combined with renewed fighting in Tigray and shifting security alliances in the Horn of Africa, have heightened fears that Ethiopia’s internal conflict could develop into a broader regional confrontation.
