Ethiopia and Sudan expel each other’s diplomats
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Caasimada Online and Citizen Digital
Ethiopia expelled six Sudanese diplomats from its consulate in Assosa, while Sudan ordered Ethiopian diplomats to leave Gedaref within 48 hours. The measures come amid mutual accusations of support for armed groups, including the RSF, and strikes launched from Ethiopian territory, Reuters, AP, AFP and Citizen Digital report.
Sudan says it recorded 70 attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched from Ethiopian territory during the year, including 187 using drones. The strikes allegedly killed or injured nearly 500 civilians, according to a report by Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council cited by AFP via Citizen Digital.
The Sudanese government, which has been at war with the RSF since April 2023, has referred the allegations to the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, according to two Sudanese officials cited by Reuters. One official described the expulsions as an “escalation” and accused Ethiopia of allowing the RSF to use its territory to attack cities and civilian infrastructure.
Residents of Al-Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile state located near Assosa, said they heard drone strikes during the night on Wednesday, according to AFP. The RSF offensive in the region displaced about 100,000 people this year, nearly half of them in the city, according to the UN. Drone strikes carried out by the army and the RSF in Sudan killed more than 1,100 people in the first half of the year, according to UN figures.
