Are there diplomatic tensions between Ethiopia and its ally Eritrea? The Ethiopian press is asking the question, after the Eritrean ambassador in Addis Ababa was replaced by a simple “charge d’affaires” last week. The two countries should however be closely linked since the 2018 peace agreement and the war in Tigray in November 2020, where their two armies are fighting together.
The exchange of ambassadors, after twenty years of rupture, was one of the achievements of the 2018 peace agreement. Officially, in the name of Eritrea, there has been no more in Addis Ababa since the 30 March that what is called a “charge d’affaires on foot”, the young diplomat Biniam Berhe, replacing the former ambassador Araya Desta, who is ill and has retired. In diplomatic jargon, this title designates a diplomat “ in office for an extended period, in the absence of the appointment of an ambassador “.
As for Ethiopia’s ambassador to Eritrea, senior official Fekadu Beyene was appointed on March 17. But his credentials have not yet been accepted by Eritrean President Issayas Afewerki.
This protocol deterioration of relations between the two countries therefore questions the Ethiopian press, which headlines like the pro-government site Borkena on the “ relegation of the diplomatic representation between the two countries, which are allies, or Wazema radio, which speaks of ” demotion “. But on the side of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the situation is minimized, explaining that it is a common practice between two appointments.
” Critical, i.e. military, communication channels are still active “, explains for his part the Eritrean journalist Amanuel Ghirmai, of Radio Erena. ” The Eritrean Presidenthe continues, likes to play with the nerves of its partners to maintain a negotiating leverage. »
While talking about peace talks with the Tigrayan leadership, the blockage is therefore, according to him, a way for Asmara to maintain pressure on Addis Ababa to remind that the common objective of Ethiopia and Eritrea should remain its elimination.