Ethiopia and Sudan close consulates near border
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on SABC News
Ethiopia and Sudan have closed their respective consulates in Assosa and Gedaref, expelling the diplomats concerned. The decision comes as the two countries accuse each other of supporting their adversaries in the conflicts in Sudan and Tigray, reports Reuters.
Ethiopia and Sudan have closed their respective consulates located near their shared border, officials from the two countries announced on Wednesday. Ethiopia ordered the six Sudanese diplomats at the consulate in Assosa, in the border region of Benishangul-Gumuz, to leave the country within 48 hours, according to a senior Ethiopian official quoted by Reuters. Sudan then closed the Ethiopian consulate in Gedaref, in the east of the country, and expelled its diplomats, according to two Sudanese officials quoted by Reuters.
The decision comes as Khartoum accuses Addis Ababa of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), involved in Sudan’s civil war, while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of supporting Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. Both countries reject the accusations. Amjad Farid, political and diplomatic adviser to Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, said Khartoum wanted to defend its territory while avoiding an open war with Ethiopia.
On Sunday, the Sudanese government referred the matter to the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of allowing the RSF to use its territory to launch suicide drones against civilian infrastructure in Sudan. The war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has displaced more than 14 million people, according to the UN. This new diplomatic crisis comes after a drone attack on the Merowe power station and a drone strike that killed seven people and injured 36.
