Egypt has objected to the African Union Commission’s inclusion of Cairo in an appeal for restraint over Ethiopia’s conflict. An unnamed official described the crisis as an internal Ethiopian matter in which Egypt had no role. The October 3 response follows reciprocal diplomatic expulsions and the breakdown of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, as renewed fighting spreads in northern Ethiopia.
Egypt objected on October 3 to the African Union Commission’s appeal naming Cairo alongside Ethiopia and Eritrea. An unnamed official quoted by the Egyptian state news agency MENA said Ethiopia’s current crisis was an internal matter in which Egypt had no role. The official called the Commission’s inclusion of Egypt an attempt to draw Cairo into Ethiopia’s domestic problems.[1], [2]
The Commission, the African Union’s executive body, had urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt on Thursday to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions or statements undermining regional peace and stability. It called for diplomatic channels and peaceful dialogue and offered support for de-escalation. The Egyptian official said Cairo’s foreign policy respected sovereignty, non-interference and good-neighbourly relations under international law and the UN and African Union principles.[1]
The objection follows reciprocal expulsions of diplomats by Egypt and Ethiopia and the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Fighting resumed in September between Ethiopian federal forces and an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a political and armed movement based in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Hostilities spread into southern Tigray and neighbouring Afar. Ethiopia’s allegations of foreign support for armed groups and Egypt’s denials remain the respective governments’ stated positions.[1]
