Egypt expels Ethiopian diplomat after Ethiopia expels Egyptian diplomat

Egypt declared an Ethiopian diplomat persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave, in retaliation for Ethiopia's expulsion of an Egyptian diplomat, according to Egyptian state news agency MENA. 1 The National reports that Ethiopia started the row with a brief Foreign Ministry statement late on Thursday ordering a senior Egyptian diplomat, Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman, to leave within 48 hours, and that it gave no reason. 2 Egypt responded under what a senior official called the principle of reciprocity, expelling the counsellor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo. 1 2

Anadolu, citing MENA, names the expelled Ethiopian as Egazi Emelo Borougi, while The National says Egypt did not name the diplomat. 1 2 An unnamed senior Egyptian official said Cairo regretted Ethiopia's decision, rejects interference in other countries' internal affairs, and refrains from commenting on Ethiopia's domestic developments. 1 The official also said Ethiopia has a history of blaming its failures and crises on alleged foreign interference, thereby concealing its ongoing problems. 1

The National describes the Egyptian source as calling the Egyptian diplomat's expulsion "unfortunate" and unjustified, and reads the remark on interference as alluding to Addis Ababa's claim that Egypt was aiding Ethiopian rebels. 2 The expulsions followed Ethiopia's order to close its embassy in Eritrea, an Egyptian ally, and to expel 10 Eritrean diplomats; The National says Asmara then severed diplomatic ties. 1 2 According to The National, Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front that has fought federal-government troops since last week; the three countries deny it. 2

The row adds to a decade-old dispute over the Nile, with Cairo saying Ethiopia's huge dam will likely reduce Egypt's vital share of the river's water. 2