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Sudan and Ethiopia expel each other's diplomats as proxy accusations mount

Sudan and Ethiopia expel each other's diplomats as proxy accusations mount

Force in Play

Tit-for-tat consulate closures follow Sudanese complaints that Ethiopia hosts RSF drone bases

Yesterday: Sudan closes Ethiopian consulate in Gadarif

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese consular staff in the border town of Asosa to leave within 48 hours and shut the consulate. Sudan answered by closing Ethiopia's consulate in Gadarif and declaring its diplomats persona non grata.

The expulsions are the sharpest turn yet in a dispute over whether Ethiopia lets the Rapid Support Forces launch drone strikes from its soil. Both countries deny backing the other's enemies, and neither has shown signs of wanting a direct war.

Why it matters

Two civil wars now share a border, and each government says the other is arming its enemy.

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Key Indicators

6
Sudanese consular staff expelled from Asosa
Ethiopia gave them 48 hours to leave and closed the consulate.
2
Consulates closed in tit-for-tat moves
Sudan's consulate in Asosa and Ethiopia's consulate in Gadarif.
14 million+
People displaced by Sudan's civil war
The UN calls the war one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
48 hours
Notice given to departing diplomats
Both sides used the same 48-hour deadline.

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People Involved

Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan
Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan
Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces and chair of the Transitional Sovereign Council
Leading the war against the RSF; has rejected ceasefire proposals
 Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti"
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti"
Leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
RSF accused of launching drone strikes from Ethiopian territory
AF
Amjad Farid
Political and foreign affairs adviser, Transitional Sovereign Council
Framing Sudan's position as defensive
 Pekka Haavisto
Pekka Haavisto
UN Special Envoy for Sudan
Planning talks with the RSF and its allies before Christmas
AA
Abdul Kareem Al-Almin Ahmed
Sudanese border affairs specialist
Analyst on Sudan-Ethiopia tensions
BA
Badr Hassan Al-Shafei
Professor of African studies and conflict resolution
Analyst on Sudan-Ethiopia tensions

Organizations Involved

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
National military
Fighting the RSF; managing border tensions with Ethiopia

Sudan's regular army, at war with the RSF since April 2023.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Paramilitary
Accused of launching drone strikes from Ethiopian territory

The paramilitary group fighting Sudan's army since 2023.
TS
Transitional Sovereign Council
Head of state body
Filed complaints against Ethiopia with the UN and African Union

Sudan's internationally recognized collective head of state.
Government of Ethiopia
Government of Ethiopia
National government
Closed Sudan's Asosa consulate; denies backing the RSF

Ethiopia's federal government, which accuses Sudan of backing Tigrayan rebels.
AU
African Union Peace and Security Council
Regional body
Received Sudan's complaint against Ethiopia

The African Union body that handles continental peace and security disputes.

Timeline

April 2023 November 2026

10 events Latest: Yesterday
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Sudan closes Ethiopian consulate in Gadarif

    Latest Diplomacy

    Khartoum expels Ethiopian diplomats in retaliation and gives them 48 hours to leave.

  2. Sudanese consular staff leave Asosa

    Diplomacy

    Six staff members depart after Ethiopia's 48-hour expulsion order.

  3. UN announces planned RSF talks

    Diplomacy

    Envoy Pekka Haavisto says talks with the RSF are expected before Christmas.

  4. Drone strikes cut power in northern Sudan

    Conflict

    Strikes hit substations in al-Dabba and Abu Hamad; Sudan blames the RSF.

  5. Sudan files UN and AU complaints

    Diplomacy

    Khartoum accuses Ethiopia of allowing RSF drone attacks on civilian infrastructure.

  6. Ethiopia summons Sudan's ambassador

    Diplomacy

    Addis Ababa announces the closure of Sudan's consulate in Asosa.

  7. Sudan accuses Ethiopia of hosting RSF drones

    Statement

    Khartoum says the RSF launches drone strikes from Ethiopian territory.

  8. Ethiopia expels Eritrean diplomats

    Diplomacy

    Ethiopia closes its embassy in Eritrea and expels 10 diplomats; Eritrea severs ties.

  9. Tigrayan rebels launch offensive

    Conflict

    Rebels in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region attack government forces.

  10. Sudan's civil war begins

    Conflict

    Sudan's army and the RSF start fighting, eventually displacing more than 14 million people.

Scenarios

1

Consulates stay shut, but no shots are fired

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Border affairs specialist Abdul Kareem Al-Almin Ahmed and conflict resolution professor Badr Hassan Al-Shafei, both cited by Al Jazeera

Both governments keep the consulates closed and trade accusations, but neither opens a military front. Analysts say Sudan's army is too stretched by the RSF war and Ethiopia too focused on Tigray to risk direct fighting.

2

Border clash turns proxy war into direct fighting

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Sudanese border affairs specialist Abdul Kareem Al-Almin Ahmed, who said some army voices demand war with Ethiopia

A drone strike or border incident kills enough people that one side retaliates with regular forces. Sudan would then fight the RSF in the southeast and Ethiopia on its eastern border at the same time.

3

Mediation reopens the consulates

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: UN Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto, who is planning talks that could be held in Addis Ababa

African Union or UN mediation produces a deal in which both consulates reopen and expelled staff return. The broader dispute over drone bases and rebel support would remain unresolved.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May 1998 – December 2000

Ethiopia–Eritrea border war (1998–2000)

A border dispute over the town of Badme escalated into full-scale war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Tens of thousands of soldiers died in trench warfare before a peace agreement was signed in Algiers in 2000.

Then

A UN boundary commission was set up, but Ethiopia refused to accept its ruling on Badme.

Now

The two countries stayed in a frozen conflict until a 2018 peace deal reopened ties.

Why this matters now

Shows how a border incident combined with accusations of proxy support can pull two exhausted armies into direct war.

November 2020 – 2022

Sudan–Ethiopia al-Fashaga clashes (2020–2022)

As Ethiopia's Tigray war began, Sudanese forces moved into the contested al-Fashaga farmland along the border. Clashes in 2022 killed dozens of people on both sides.

Then

The two governments held talks but did not resolve the border dispute.

Now

Al-Fashaga remains contested, and each country accuses the other of sheltering its rebels.

Why this matters now

The two armies have fought recently over border territory, which makes the current diplomatic rupture harder to contain.

November 2020 – November 2022

Ethiopia's Tigray war (2020–2022)

Ethiopian federal forces fought Tigrayan rebels in a war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Sudan was accused of harboring Tigrayan fighters along its border.

Then

A November 2022 agreement in Pretoria ended major fighting.

Now

Addis Ababa remains sensitive to outside support for Tigrayan armed groups.

Why this matters now

Ethiopia's charge that Sudan backs Tigrayan rebels comes directly from this conflict, and a new rebel offensive in September 2026 revived the fear.

Sources

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+3
Al Jazeera Sudan Tribune The Soufan Center ACLED AP News The Straits Times ABC News Al Jazeera Al Jazeera