CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt has ordered an adviser at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo to leave the country within 48 hours, in a diplomatic tit-for-tat move after Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat.
Egyptian government sources described Ethiopia’s earlier decision to declare an Egyptian diplomatic staff member persona non grata as “regrettable” and unjustified, according to local reports.
The sources said Cairo had consistently rejected interference in the internal affairs of other countries and had refrained from interfering in or commenting on domestic matters in Ethiopia and elsewhere.
They said Egypt’s position was based on international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
The Egyptian sources also accused Ethiopia of repeatedly attributing its domestic difficulties and challenges to alleged interference by foreign parties.
In response to Ethiopia’s expulsion of the Egyptian diplomat, Cairo declared an adviser at the Ethiopian Embassy in the Egyptian capital persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 48 hours.
Egypt said the move was based on the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
The latest escalation follows Ethiopia’s decision last Thursday to expel Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman, declaring him persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave the country.
Neither government has publicly provided detailed reasons for the expulsion decisions.
The diplomatic dispute comes amid broader tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia, particularly over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, as well as wider regional security concerns involving the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
The latest exchange of diplomatic expulsions adds to strains between Cairo and Addis Ababa, despite previous efforts to resolve their differences through negotiations.
