Egypt and Ethiopia expelled each other’s diplomats in early October 2026, escalating regional tensions as Addis Ababa blamed Cairo for backing armed internal opposition. The diplomatic breach followed a disputed African Union statement and unfolded alongside deteriorating relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The diplomatic rupture deepened a multi-year crisis that includes the stalled Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations and Cairo’s persistent refusal to grant Addis Ababa an independent Red Sea outlet. The immediate catalyst, however, arrived through a rapid exchange of expulsion orders and mutual accusations of cross-border interference.
Expulsions in Addis Ababa and Cairo
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Muharram Ahmed Suleiman a persona non grata. Citing the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the ministry instructed the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa to ensure his departure within 48 hours.
Cairo reacted swiftly. Applying the principle of reciprocity, an official source told state media that Egypt had designated an Ethiopian embassy counselor in Cairo as an unwelcome person, giving him the same 48-hour window to leave the country. An official Egyptian statement dismissed the original Ethiopian measure as regrettable and unjustified, maintaining that Cairo strictly adheres to non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.
Accusations Over Internal Armed Opposition
The diplomatic friction followed claims by the Ethiopian military leadership regarding domestic security. Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, chief of staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, alleged that Egypt and Sudan were supporting a newly formed coalition of armed groups seeking to topple Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
Sudan’s armed forces rejected the claims, turning the accusation around by pointing to ongoing security threats emanating from Ethiopian territory. Meanwhile, Egyptian analysts interviewed across regional outlets argued that Addis Ababa was manufacturing external threats to distract its domestic audience from worsening conflicts in the Tigray, Amhara, Afar, and Oromia regions.
African Union Urges Restraint as Tigray Fighting Flares
As fighting flared anew in the Tigray region—where the Tigray People’s Liberation Front launched an offensive and briefly seized the airport in Mekelle before federal forces recaptured it—the African Union Commission stepped into the fray.
On Thursday evening, the African Union issued a statement urging Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea to exercise maximum restraint, maintain communication channels, and allow space for mediation.
The continental body’s appeal drew a sharp response from Cairo. An official Egyptian source expressed bewilderment at the statement, calling it an uncomprehending attempt to drag Egypt into an internal Ethiopian crisis.
An anonymous official source stated, Egypt, which prides itself on its African affiliation and being one of the founding nations of the African Union, sees in that statement an incomprehensible attempt to drag it into an internal Ethiopian issue,
according to state media.
The source added that Egypt’s foreign policy rests firmly on international law, UN principles, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, emphasizing respect for state sovereignty and good neighborliness.
Simultaneous Break in Asmara
Concurrent with its measures against Egyptian diplomacy, Ethiopia severed ties with Eritrea. Addis Ababa ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours for actions allegedly threatening Ethiopian national security, and shuttered its embassy in Asmara.
Regional observers noted that the simultaneous escalations with both Egypt and Eritrea threaten to widen domestic unrest into a broader Horn of Africa confrontation, complicating future diplomatic engagement over disputed regional waterways and hydroelectric projects.
