Ethiopia has closed Sudan's consulate in Assosa and expelled six of its staff, and Sudan has responded by shutting Ethiopia's consulate in Gedaref, officials from both countries told international news agencies. Neither foreign ministry has issued a formal statement.
Ethiopia has ordered six staff at Sudan's consulate in Assosa, the capital of the Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan's Blue Nile state, to leave within 48 hours and has closed the mission, a senior Ethiopian official told Reuters on Wednesday 4 November. The official gave no reason. Two Sudanese officials then told Reuters that Sudan had closed Ethiopia's consulate in Gedaref, in eastern Sudan, and expelled the diplomats working there. AP carried a similar account from Ethiopian and Sudanese officials.
A Sudanese government official told AFP that Ethiopia had declared the Assosa staff persona non grata on 2 November. A second official said Sudan had responded by "informing the staff of the Ethiopian consulate in Gedaref" that they too were persona non grata and had 48 hours to leave. All the officials spoke anonymously. The Sudan Times said reports put the number of Ethiopian diplomats affected at three. The Ethiopian prime minister's office did not respond to Reuters, and Ethiopian authorities did not respond to AFP.
Background to the row
The expulsions follow complaints that Sudan's army-aligned government filed on 1 November with the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. The complaints accuse Ethiopia of allowing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to launch drones from its territory. A Sovereignty Council report cited by AFP says there have been 70 such attacks this year, involving 187 one-way attack drones that killed or injured nearly 500 civilians. Ethiopia denies supporting the RSF. In turn, it accuses Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of backing Tigrayan forces fighting the federal government, which all three deny.
"The Sudanese government remains committed to its right to defend its territory. Nevertheless, it is making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia," Amjad Farid, described by Reuters as political and foreign affairs adviser to the Transitional Sovereignty Council, told Reuters. On 3 November, Information Minister Khalid al-Eisir accused Addis Ababa of letting its territory and airports be used for RSF attacks on Sudanese infrastructure. According to SUNA, he said Sudan was still pursuing "last-chance diplomacy" and that its "sovereignty and national security are red lines".
Further steps remain unconfirmed. Sources cited by Sudan Tribune and relayed by The Sudan Times say Port Sudan is considering recalling its ambassador to Addis Ababa, El-Zein Ibrahim, for consultations. Sources in Ethiopia have raised the possibility of expelling him. Neither step has been announced. According to Anadolu, Ethiopia's Gedaref consulate opened in June 2015 to support cross-border cooperation, including action against human trafficking.
Image: Wooded hills near Asosa (Assosa), Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, 2013. Emiliano Tomei, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.