Sudan and Ethiopia Order Tit-for-Tat Diplomatic Expulsions Over Border Security Accusations
Relations between Sudan and Ethiopia deteriorated sharply on November 4, 2026, when both governments ordered reciprocal diplomatic expulsions and closed border consulates. Sudan Tribune reported that Khartoum initiated formal complaints against Addis Ababa with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council last Friday, accusing Ethiopia of providing logistical support to the Rapid Support Forces and hosting drone launchpads targeting Sudanese fuel and electricity facilities.
Following Khartoum’s international complaints, Ethiopia ordered six staff members at the Sudanese consulate in the border town of Asosa to leave the country within 48 hours, according to an Ethiopian intelligence official cited by Al Jazeera. In response, the Sudanese government declared the staff of the Ethiopian consulate in the eastern border city of Gadarif persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to depart and shutting down the diplomatic post entirely.
Border Security Allegations Fueling Regional Military Friction
The diplomatic crisis stems from deep-seated security grievances on both sides of the border. Sudan accuses Ethiopian authorities of facilitating Rapid Support Forces movements and supplying provisions through the Benishangul-Gumuz region. Conversely, Ethiopian sources argue that the Sudanese army, alongside an emerging regional axis involving Egypt and Eritrea, is attempting to encircle Ethiopia. Addis Ababa accuses Sudan and its allies of providing safe havens and logistical support to fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Fano armed groups.
Amjad Farid, political and foreign affairs adviser for Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, told Al Jazeera that the Sudanese government remains committed to its territorial defense while striving to avoid an open war with Ethiopia. Direct military confrontation would severely strain the Sudanese armed forces, which remain locked in a civil war against the Rapid Support Forces that erupted in 2023. That ongoing domestic conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 14 million citizens.
Broader Diplomatic Fallout Across the Horn of Africa
The expulsions involving Sudan follow a series of similar diplomatic fractures in Addis Ababa. On October 1, Ethiopia ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country and closed its embassy in Eritrea, prompting Asmara to sever diplomatic ties. Ethiopian authorities also expelled an Egyptian diplomat last month amid long-standing tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.
Diplomatic sources in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry may recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa, El-Zein Ibrahim, for consultations, repeating a similar measure taken last May. Sources in Addis Ababa similarly suggested that Ethiopia could declare the Sudanese ambassador persona non grata and formally close its embassy doors, noting that Ethiopia has lacked ambassadorial representation in Sudan since the outbreak of the civil war.
UK and US Launch Mediation to Ease Border Tensions
Private sources told Sudan Tribune that officials from the United Kingdom and the United States have launched mediation efforts to bridge the gap between Khartoum and Addis Ababa and ease mounting border tensions. Despite these diplomatic interventions, neither foreign ministry has issued official statements clarifying whether the mutual consular expulsions will lead to a complete severance of diplomatic ties.
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