Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata on Thursday, prompting Asmara to sever all diplomatic ties with its neighbour after overnight blasts heard in Addis Ababa sparked fears about renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia spreading. 

Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that has battled troops loyal to Ethiopia's federal government since last week. The three countries deny the accusation.

The African Union Commission urged the three countries to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions or statements that could worsen tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.

The clashes mark the biggest escalation of fighting in Ethiopia since the end of a 2020-2022 civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Eritrea had fought in support of Ethiopia's federal government in that conflict.

Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had "decided to close its Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea, in response to Eritrea's direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia".

It also said in a statement posted on its X account that 10 Eritrean diplomats, whom it did not name, were required to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours. 

RESPONSE

Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told Reuters that by expelling all Eritrean diplomats from Ethiopia the government was effectively closing its embassy in Addis Ababa.

"Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ethiopia's government also declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours, the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation and two sources with knowledge of the matter said. 

Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News, citing a senior Egyptian source, said Cairo had responded in kind by declaring an Ethiopian embassy counsellor in Egypt persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave.

The source described Ethiopia's move against the Egyptian diplomat as "unfortunate" and unjustified, and said Egypt had consistently rejected interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki told Reuters that Cairo's action was justified.

“Reciprocity is the currency of diplomacy,” he said.

The sabre-rattling moves came hours after explosions were heard in Ethiopia's capital and added to concerns that the fighting could spiral into a wider regional conflict.

The African Union Commission urged the three countries "to address their differences through established diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue" in a statement late on Thursday.

A source linked to the opposition alliance told Reuters it had carried out several drone strikes in Addis Ababa, including some that targeted the military's headquarters.

If confirmed, it would be the first known drone attack by anti-government forces on Addis Ababa, which is hundreds of km (miles) from the front lines in the northern regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar. 

Three diplomatic sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the blasts. Witnesses said there was no damage visible near the military base. 

Spokespeople for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office, the federal government, the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the TPLF did not respond to requests for comment. 

FRIEND-TURNED-FOE

Ethiopia's embassy in Eritrea was reopened in 2018 as part of a rapprochement with Asmara that won Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize. 

The militaries of both countries fought side by side against the TPLF, Tigray's main party, during the 2020-2022 war. But Eritrea was not a party to the peace deal that ended the fighting in November 2022, and relations between the two nations quickly soured.

The two governments have also exchanged words over the issue of access to the Red Sea, with landlocked Ethiopia insisting that sea access is vital for its security and economy. Asmara has said it fears Addis Ababa will try to take its Assab port by force. 

Days after the latest clashes broke out, the chief administrator of the northern Afar region, Haji Awol Arba, told Al Jazeera that Eritrean soldiers had crossed into Afar to join the opposition alliance's offensive.

Eritrea's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.    

Federal troops and allied militiamen, meanwhile, made fresh gains in Tigray and Afar, a pro-government militia said on Thursday. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

INTELLIGENCE SERVICE BANS DRONE FLIGHTS OVER CAPITAL

The national intelligence service has banned drones over Addis Ababa. Opposition forces had not previously been known to use armed drones but there is growing evidence they may possess some capability.

On Tuesday, the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces (TPF) militia said it had captured drone frames and batteries from forces linked to the TPLF, which is the main political party in Tigray. 

Edward Bach, Senior Africa Analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said the opposition's ability to strike Addis Ababa would be "a political game-changer", undermining any government narrative that the capital is unaffected by the war and narrowing a key tactical advantage for federal forces, their aerial superiority. 

Federal forces have been advancing in southern Tigray, edging closer to the regional capital Mekelle, while the opposition alliance has captured towns in neighbouring Afar.

Pro-government forces also recaptured the town of Erbeti in Afar, which TPLF forces had seized at the start of the conflict, the TPF said on X, thanking the ENDF for "magnificent air support". 

In Afar, where the TPLF captured several towns in the early days of the new conflict, fighting has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, Valerie Browning, a founder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told Reuters.