Rhino: Follow-up – The Ethiopian government has decided to close the Sudanese consulate in the border town of Assosa and has given its staff 48 hours to leave Ethiopian territory, in a move that represents a new escalation in tensions between the two countries.

Well-informed Sudanese sources revealed in press statements that the Ethiopian government had decided to close the consulate and informed its staff that they must leave Ethiopian territory within two days, without disclosing the official reasons behind this move.

The decision comes amid a rapid deterioration in relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa, following accusations by the Sudanese government that Ethiopia was involved in drone attacks targeting sites inside Sudan.

The Sudanese government had accused Ethiopia of allowing a military base in the Assosa border region to be used as a launchpad for airstrikes inside Sudanese territory, which sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Khartoum has also stepped up its diplomatic efforts, calling on the international community to investigate the allegations and raising the issue with international and regional institutions.

The closure of the consulate is seen as a sign that the dispute between the two countries has entered a more acute phase, especially given the security and military overlap between developments in Sudan and the Ethiopian border regions.