KEY POINTS
- Ethiopia and Sudan have closed each other’s consulates in border towns, worsening diplomatic tensions.
- Sudan accuses Ethiopia of allowing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to use its territory to launch attacks inside Sudan.
- Ethiopia accuses Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of supporting rebels in its northern Tigray region.
- Both countries deny the allegations, raising concerns that their separate conflicts could spill across borders.
- Sudan says it wants to avoid an open war with Ethiopia despite reserving the right to defend its territory.
MAIN STORY
Ethiopia and Sudan have closed each other’s consulates in border towns following escalating accusations that both countries are supporting armed groups fighting their respective governments.
The diplomatic measures came as Sudan accused Ethiopia of allowing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to use its territory to launch attacks against civilian infrastructure in Sudan. Ethiopia, in turn, has accused Sudan of backing rebels in its northern Tigray region.
Ethiopia closed the Sudanese consulate in Assosa, a border town, and ordered its six diplomats to leave within 48 hours, a senior Ethiopian official said.
Sudan subsequently shut Ethiopia’s consulate in Gedaref, an eastern Sudanese city, and expelled the diplomats working there, according to Sudanese officials.
The closures deepen tensions between the neighbours as allegations of cross-border support for armed groups raise fears that their separate conflicts could develop into a wider confrontation in the Horn of Africa.
Sudan’s government said on Sunday that it had lodged a complaint against Ethiopia with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council over the alleged use of Ethiopian territory by the RSF.
Ethiopia has denied supporting the paramilitary group. Its Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the latest allegations.
THE ISSUES
The diplomatic dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of two separate conflicts that have placed pressure on regional security.
Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023, has displaced more than 14 million people, according to United Nations figures, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The war pits the Sudanese military against the RSF, a powerful paramilitary force. Sudan’s latest accusation suggests that the conflict could acquire a wider regional dimension if neighbouring countries become directly involved.
Ethiopia is also facing tensions linked to its northern Tigray region. The Ethiopian government has accused Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of supporting Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive against government forces in September. All three countries have denied the allegations.
The exchange of accusations has increased concern that support for armed groups across borders could connect the two conflicts and destabilise a wider part of the Horn of Africa.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“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, Political and Foreign Affairs Adviser to Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council.
WHAT’S NEXT
The consulate closures mark a further deterioration in diplomatic relations, while Sudan’s complaint to the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council puts the allegations before regional and international institutions.
Both governments have denied supporting armed groups across their borders. However, the expulsions and diplomatic complaints leave relations under pressure as the conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia continue.
BOTTOM LINE
The closure of the consulates reflects growing mistrust between Ethiopia and Sudan. With both governments accusing the other of supporting armed opponents, the risk is that their separate conflicts could become increasingly entangled, threatening stability across the Horn of Africa.
