African Union urges Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt to exercise restraint as regional escalation continues

"The Commission urges the three countries to address their differences through established diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue," it said in a statement late on Thursday.

The African Union Commission has called on Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions or statements that could worsen tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.

"The Commission urges the three countries to address their differences through established diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue," it said in a statement late on Thursday.

On Thursday, Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata, prompting Asmara to sever all diplomatic ties with its neighbor.

It also declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours, and Cairo responded in kind by declaring an Ethiopian embassy counselor in Egypt persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt, Sudan of supporting opposition alliance

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 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.