Ethiopia expels Eritrean diplomats and Asmara severs all ties

Updated 5 October 2026

Addis Ababa announced on Thursday that it was closing its embassy in Asmara and expelling ten Eritrean diplomats it said were engaged in activities posing a direct threat to national security. It cited hostile and warlike acts and gave them 48 hours.

Asmara's reply, from its information minister, was that Eritrea had no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties.

These are announced state actions, reported consistently, and we assess them as such. The accusation underneath them — that Eritrea is backing the armed alliance now fighting the federal government — is a separate question with separate evidence, and it is assessed separately.

Claim

15204555809599 ← ruled out established →

Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered ten Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours.Ethiopian government announcement, reported by RFIlikely

likely

Eritrea severed all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in response.Eritrean information ministry, reported by RFI and Al Jazeeralikely

likely

Assessments

Claim by claim

Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered ten Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours.

Claimed by Ethiopian government announcement, reported by RFI · source rating B2

likely 55–80%

Ethiopia announced this itself and the details are consistent across outlets. Governments are reliable about their own diplomatic measures.

Supporting evidence

Allafrica Al Jazeera

What complicates it

We are assessing that the expulsion happened, not the security accusation given as its reason. We have not seen the underlying evidence for that accusation, and no outlet reports having seen it either.

What would change our mind

A retraction, or reporting that the diplomats remained in post past the deadline.

Eritrea severed all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in response.

Claimed by Eritrean information ministry, reported by RFI and Al Jazeera · source rating B2

likely 55–80%

Eritrea said so directly, and a second outlet reports the relationship as severed on 2 October.

Supporting evidence

Allafrica Al Jazeera

What complicates it

Severing relations is reversible and has been reversed before between these two states. It marks the state of the relationship on 2 October, not a permanent condition.

What would change our mind

Evidence that channels remained open, or a rapid restoration of relations.

Sources

Everything this rests on

report — Radio France Internationale report of 2 October on the severing of ties and the realignment of armed groups in northern Ethiopia, carried via allAfrica. Quotes the Ethiopian stated grounds and the Eritrean reply. not archived
report — Al Jazeera report of 5 October by Faisal Ali, which records the severing of relations on 2 October alongside its account of the Alamein summit. not archived

Deep dive

Sources & technical provenance

Allafrica

Radio France Internationale report of 2 October on the severing of ties and the realignment of armed groups in northern Ethiopia, carried via allAfrica. Quotes the Ethiopian stated grounds and the Eritrean reply.

Original source

Technical provenance

Timestamp basis: unknown
SHA-256: d713870833cbc3919ef9488c6b6a8d57307da6ef8c2bec915b86d21b9d7a42e7
Upstream sources: ["RFI", "Reuters", "BBC"]

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera report of 5 October by Faisal Ali, which records the severing of relations on 2 October alongside its account of the Alamein summit.

Original source

Technical provenance

Timestamp basis: unknown
SHA-256: 35766fbc07b4059118060716d87d4ba7fd4e3562a985f31d8900c60dcfde3b5b
Upstream sources: ["Al Jazeera"]