Egypt and Ethiopia Order Reciprocal Diplomat Expulsions

Egypt and Ethiopia each ordered a diplomat from the other country to leave within 48 hours, in a reciprocal exchange that added to tensions between the two governments. Ethiopia first declared Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman persona non grata, and Egypt later ordered an Ethiopian Embassy counsellor in Cairo to depart on the same deadline. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry notified the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa of its decision and cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, according to accounts of the notification. The ministry gave no public reason for the expulsion and did not identify specific conduct by Soliman. Egypt’s action was described by an Egyptian source as a reciprocal response. The counsellor’s name was not consistently reported. An Egyptian source characterized Ethiopia’s decision as unjustified and said Cairo was applying the principle of reciprocity. The source also said Egypt rejects interference in other countries’ internal affairs. Neither government publicly connected the two expulsions to a specific dispute or stated whether further diplomatic measures were planned. The exchange took place amid wider strains in the region.