Sudan and Ethiopia have shut each other's consulates near their shared border in a tit-for-tat escalation tied to the war in Sudan.

Ethiopia ordered six staff members of Sudan's consulate in the border town of Assosa to leave the country within 48 hours and closed the mission, officials told Reuters and AFP on Wednesday. A Sudanese official said the staff departed on Tuesday evening. Ethiopia has given no public reason for the move.

Khartoum hits back in Gedaref

In retaliation, Sudan closed Ethiopia's consulate in the eastern city of Gedaref and expelled its diplomats, two Sudanese officials told Reuters. An official separately told AFP the staff were declared persona non grata and given 48 hours to leave.

Drone accusations at the root

The row follows Sudan's complaint to the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council on Sunday, accusing Ethiopia of allowing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to launch drone attacks on civilian infrastructure from its territory. Sudan says drones struck power substations in al-Dabba and Abu Hamad on Sunday.

Ethiopia denies supporting the RSF, while accusing Sudan of backing rebels it is fighting in Tigray. Both sides deny the other's accusations, raising fears the two conflicts could merge into a wider war in the Horn of Africa.

A widening regional rift

The move follows Ethiopia's 1 October expulsion of 10 Eritrean diplomats and closure of its Asmara embassy; Eritrea responded by severing ties. Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat last month amid tensions over its Nile dam.

Amjad Farid, adviser to Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, said Khartoum would defend its territory but was making every effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia. Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 14 million, the UN says.