Sudan orders the closure of the Ethiopian Consulate in Gedaref and expels diplomats within 48 hours following Ethiopia’s expulsion of Sudanese staff from Assosa
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Sudan ordered the closure of the Ethiopian Consulate in Al-Qadarif (Gedaref) and instructed its diplomatic staff to leave within 48 hours. The measure directly reciprocates Ethiopia’s decision to expel Sudanese diplomats from Assosa.
Sudanese officials confirmed that Khartoum enacted the 48-hour departure order after Ethiopian authorities previously ordered the closure of the Sudanese Consulate in Assosa, the capital of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, and expelled six Sudanese diplomats stationed there.
The tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions mark a significant deterioration in relations between the neighboring Horn of Africa nations, driven by escalating accusations of cross-border involvement in internal conflicts.
The Sudanese military announced that its air defense systems intercepted and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle in Blue Nile state. Sudanese authorities stated that the drone crossed into Sudanese airspace from Ethiopian territory to execute an attack. This action follows formal complaints submitted by Sudan to the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, alleging that Ethiopia permitted the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to use its territory and airspace to target Sudanese civilian infrastructure.
Conversely, Ethiopian authorities accuse Sudan of harboring and supporting insurgent groups operating in northern Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Consulate in Gedaref, established in 2015 to foster cross-border trade, facilitate population movements, and address shared security issues, now ceases operations as regional instability deepens. The diplomatic breakdown unfolds while ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF continues to displace civilians and worsen the regional humanitarian crisis.
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