Ethiopia expels Sudanese diplomats after fresh allegations of support for RSF

Recent coverage from Reuters, AP News, and Anadolu Ajansı details a diplomatic expulsion involving Ethiopia and Sudan. Officials report that Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomatic and consular officials to leave its territory. In addition to the expulsion of these staff members, authorities have ordered the closure of a Sudanese consulate. This development follows fresh allegations concerning support for the Rapid Support Forces, commonly known as the RSF. While the exact details of these allegations remain restricted to what the reporting outlines, the diplomatic measures mark a significant friction point between the neighbouring states.

Additional reporting from the Sudan Tribune highlights simultaneous security incidents on the ground, noting that the RSF launched an attack on Ed Damazin utilizing a swarm of explosive drones. Outlets including Reuters, AP News, Anadolu Ajansı, and the Sudan Tribune have placed these events at the forefront of their regional reporting. The coverage emphasizes the simultaneous nature of the diplomatic fallout in Ethiopia and the drone attack on Ed Damazin, though the text of the headlines does not yet specify the direct operational links between the consulate closure and the drone strike beyond the shared context of the ongoing conflict involving the RSF. This diplomatic rupture builds upon a complex backdrop of regional instability linked to the ongoing war in Sudan. The RSF has been central to the conflict dynamics that continue to affect neighbouring nations like Ethiopia.

Although the coverage does not yet specify the full history of bilateral communications leading up to this decision, the sudden expulsion of six consular officials and the shuttering of diplomatic facilities signal a sharp escalation in tensions. Observers note that Ethiopia has frequently interacted with various Sudanese factions as the broader civil conflict has persisted across the border. Looking ahead, coverage does not yet specify what further diplomatic retaliations Sudan might enact in response to the expulsion of its officials and the closure of its consulate. Observers will need to monitor future updates from Reuters, AP News, Anadolu Ajansı, and the Sudan Tribune to see if additional diplomatic staff face expulsion or if regional mediators will step in to de-escalate the situation. Furthermore, developments surrounding the RSF drone attack on Ed Damazin will likely dictate the immediate security trajectory of the region as diplomatic channels between Addis Ababa and Khartoum narrow.