Egypt expels Ethiopian diplomat, state media says

Egypt has declared an Ethiopian diplomat persona non grata and given him 48 hours to leave the country, Egyptian state-linked broadcaster Al-Qahera News said, after Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat.

An Egyptian official quoted by the broadcaster late Thursday called Ethiopia's decision to expel the diplomat “regrettable and unjustified” and said Cairo had long followed a policy of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. The official said Egypt's response was taken on the principle of reciprocity.

Ethiopia has not publicly given a reason for expelling the Egyptian diplomat.

The dispute is the latest point of tension in a years-long rift over Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile that Egypt sees as a threat to its share of Nile water.

Regional security tensions have also strained relations. This week, Ethiopia accused Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea of backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which launched a major assault against government forces last week. Egypt has not publicly responded to that allegation, while Sudan has denied it.

On Thursday, Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties, accusing each other of fuelling internal conflicts as fighting continued in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.