- Ethiopian authorities have broken diplomatic ties with the government of Qatar, blaming the Middle East emirate of involved in subversive activities, including efforts to "destabilize the Horn of Africa."
A communique released by the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Ministry further accused Qatar of harbouring "hostile attitude" against Ethiopia as well as serving as "a source of instability and a point of reference - direct and indirect - for terror networks operating in Somalia and other regions."
Addis Ababa's decision has been taken after "long observation of Qatar's activities in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has displayed considerable patience towards Qatar's attempts to destabilize our sub-region and, in particular, its hostile behaviour towards Ethiopia."
Qatar has also been accused of becoming a "major source of instability in the Horn of Africa and more widely."
Addis Ababa officials regarded Qatar’s ostensibly maverick political alliances as misleading because its activities have far reaching consequences for the whole of Africa. As a result, Ethiopia invited the African Union to dig into the implication of the situation of Africa-Arab cooperation.
"Qatar has left no stone unturned to cause harm to Ethiopia’s national security. All those who are prepared to foment instability in Ethiopia and undermine the country’s security have been given support and encouragement by Qatar. This has gone beyond Qatar’s strong ties with Eritrea. It has indeed provided direct and indirect assistance to terrorist organizations in Somalia and other areas. This has included the output of its media outlets."
The emirate was also accused of being a "source of support for armed opposition groups and their coordinators in neighbouring countries."
"Whether in Somalia and in other parts of the Horn of Africa - including within Ethiopia - Qatar has been one of the most important supporters of terrorism and extremism in our sub-region. This has wider implications," Addis Ababa government said, adding that all diplomatic efforts to try and persuade Qatar to change its destructive activities have failed.
Qatar has been accused of "consistently refusing to accept responsibility for activities of which Ethiopia has unequivocal evidence. Apparently blinded by arrogance, the source of which is clear enough, Qatar has remained deaf to all our efforts."
Addis Ababa government said urged Qatar to speedily change its "misguided policies" that led to the unfortunate situation.
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