Ethiopia expels six Sudanese diplomats, closes consulate

Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave and closed Sudan’s consulate in the western city of Assosa, Reuters and The Associated Press reported on Nov. 4, deepening a dispute over claims that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are launching drones from Ethiopian soil.

The expulsions came days after Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council said it had documented 70 attacks from inside Ethiopian territory this year, including 187 one-way attack drones that it said killed and injured nearly 500 civilians, AFP reported. Those figures come from the Sudanese government’s own report. None of the news agencies said they had been independently verified.

A senior Ethiopian official told Reuters that six diplomats had been told to leave within 48 hours, speaking on condition of anonymity. An Ethiopian intelligence official gave the AP a similar account, and a Sudanese official corroborated the expulsions. Neither country gave a reason for the decision, according to Reuters and the AP. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry had not announced the measures publicly, the AP said.

Reuters reported that Sudan responded by closing the Ethiopian consulate in Gedaref, in eastern Sudan, and expelling the diplomats there, citing two Sudanese officials. The AP and AFP did not report that step. Sudan’s ambassador to Ethiopia declined to comment to the AP, and the Ethiopian prime minister’s office did not respond to Reuters.

Amjad Farid, political and foreign affairs adviser to the Transitional Sovereignty Council, told Reuters: “The Sudanese government remains committed to its right to defend its territory. Nevertheless, it is making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia.”

On Nov. 2, Sudan said it had lodged complaints with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of letting the RSF use its territory to launch drones against civilian infrastructure, Reuters reported. Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also said the drones used against electricity infrastructure were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia, the AP reported. Ethiopia and the UAE both deny arming the RSF.

Addis Ababa denies supporting the RSF in Sudan’s civil war. It accuses Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea of backing Tigrayan rebels who launched an offensive in September, Reuters reported. All three deny that. The war in Sudan has displaced more than 14 million people, according to United Nations figures cited by Reuters.

The expulsions follow other diplomatic breaks for Ethiopia. The AP reported that Addis Ababa expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Eritrea on Oct. 1, after which Eritrea severed ties. Our earlier reporting covered how Ethiopia and Eritrea accused each other of starting a war and Ethiopia’s decision to set six-month caretaker rule in Tigray. Sudan’s own war has also reached civilians, as we reported when drone strikes killed children while the UN aid plan stood 43 per cent funded.

For Canadians, the dispute sits in a region where travel is already restricted. Global Affairs Canada advises against non-essential travel to Ethiopia, with regional advisories, in an update dated Oct. 29, 2026. It tells Canadians to avoid all travel to the northern regions, a list that includes Benishangul-Gumuz, where Assosa is located, and to areas within 20 kilometres of Ethiopia’s border with Sudan. For Sudan, the advisory is to avoid all travel and to leave the country if it is safe to do so.

It is not clear whether the two governments will take further steps. Sudan’s government has said it wants to avoid open war with Ethiopia, while Ethiopia has not commented publicly on the closure of the Assosa consulate.

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