Ethiopia expels six Sudanese diplomats, closes Asosa consulate

Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave within 48 hours on Tuesday and closed Sudan's consulate in the border town of Asosa, according to Ethiopian and Sudanese officials cited by Al Jazeera.

Why it matters: The expulsions turn Sudan's accusation that Ethiopia lets the Rapid Support Forces launch drone attacks from its territory, which Addis Ababa denies, into an open diplomatic rupture between two governments already fighting or backing opposing sides in neighbouring wars.

Data as of Al Jazeera report of November 4, 2026, with AP and Reuters, read in full in this run via the live browser. The article's body details only Ethiopia's expulsion order; it does not specify a corresponding Sudanese expulsion, so none is stated here. The underlying accusations are each government's own claims about the other, a party to the dispute in each case, and are unverified independently. Developing item.

Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours on Tuesday and closed Sudan’s consulate in Asosa, a town near the border, according to Ethiopian and Sudanese officials. The move came two days after Sudan complained to the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council that Ethiopia allows the Rapid Support Forces to use its territory to launch drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, an accusation Ethiopia denies.

Ethiopia accuses Sudan in turn of backing rebels linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in its northern Tigray region, which Khartoum denies. Amjad Farid, a political and foreign affairs adviser to Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, said Khartoum remained committed to defending its territory while making every effort to avoid open war with Ethiopia. A direct confrontation would strain Sudan’s military, which is still fighting the RSF in a civil war that began in April 2023.

Ethiopia expels six Sudanese diplomats, closes Asosa consulate

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