Cairo (AFP) - Egypt declared an Ethiopian diplomat in Cairo persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country, after Addis Ababa expelled an Egyptian diplomat, according to what Egyptian media linked to the government reported.
Published on: 02/10/2026 - 13:08
The dispute is the latest episode in a years-long dispute between the two countries over the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” a huge hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile that Egypt considers a threat to its share of the Nile’s waters.
In statements reported by the state-linked Cairo News TV channel late Thursday, an Egyptian official described Ethiopia's decision to expel the diplomat as "unfortunate and unjustified," stressing that Cairo has long been committed to a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
The official accused Ethiopia of blaming external parties for its “successive internal crises,” saying that Egypt’s decision had been taken “in application of the principle of reciprocity.”
Ethiopia did not announce the reason for expelling the Egyptian diplomat.
In addition to the dispute over the dam, regional security concerns have increased tension in relations between the two countries in recent months.
This week, Ethiopia accused Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea of supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which last week launched a massive attack on government forces, raising fears of a return to the devastating civil war that Ethiopia witnessed between 2020 and 2022, which resulted in the deaths of about 600,000 people.
Egypt did not respond publicly to this accusation, while Sudan denied it.
Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations on Thursday, exchanging accusations of fueling internal conflicts, as fighting continued in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia.
© 2026 AFP
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