NAIROBI, Kenya
Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomatic and consular officials to leave the country within 48 hours and the closure of Sudan’s consulate in the western city of Assosa, local media reported Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.
The officials were serving at the consulate in Assosa, the administrative center of Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, which borders Sudan.
The city lies approximately 476 kilometers (296 miles) west of Addis Ababa and 648 kilometers (403 miles) southeast of Khartoum.
Ethiopian authorities have not publicly explained the decision.
The move follows complaints by Sudan to the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council accusing Ethiopia of facilitating drone operations by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting Sudan’s army since April 2023.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said it had submitted documents alleging that drones operating from Ethiopian territory struck civilian areas, electricity facilities and other infrastructure, causing casualties and disrupting essential services.
Sudanese presidential adviser Amjad Farid alleged that 70 attacks involving 187 explosive drones were launched from Ethiopia between Feb. 15 and Oct. 27, killing more than 400 civilians.
He stressed that Khartoum reserved the right to respond to threats against its sovereignty.
Sudan’s army-led authorities have also reported hundreds of civilian and military casualties from the strikes.
Khartoum has repeatedly accused Addis Ababa of supporting the RSF, though the allegations have not been independently verified.
Ethiopia, meanwhile, has accused Sudan of backing armed groups involved in its own internal conflicts.
The diplomatic measures mark a further escalation in tensions between the neighboring countries amid growing security concerns along their shared border.
