Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty denied any Egyptian role in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs, stressing that recent Ethiopian statements shifting blame to external parties are primarily aimed at “escaping” the internal crises facing the country.

“We have absolutely nothing to do with what is happening inside Ethiopia,” Abdelatty said on Saturday, as he spoke to Extra News on the sidelines of the Alamein Africa Forum, held in Egypt’s New Alamein.

Abdelatty said the crises facing Ethiopia are internal matters related to ethnic and racial issues within the country with Egypt “not commenting or interfering in the internal affairs of states.”

His remarks come days after Ethiopia’s army commander accused Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea of supporting an opposition alliance fighting federal forces in the north, allegations all three countries denied.

An official Egyptian source on Thursday said Egypt has repeatedly affirmed its complete rejection of interference in the internal affairs of other countries and of commenting on events in other states, including Ethiopia, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

Meanwhile, Sudan called the accusations baseless and Eritrea announced on Thursday severing ​all ​diplomatic ties with ⁠Ethiopia.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is set to hold a consultative summit with the leaders of Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia in New Alamein on Sunday, according to the Egyptian presidential spokesman.

‘Dragging Egypt into Ethiopian Issue’

On Saturday, a well-informed Egyptian source also criticized an African Union Commission statement describing “heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt,” calling it “an inexplicable attempt to drag [Egypt] into an internal Ethiopian issue.”

Asked about provocative statements, particularly from the Ethiopian side, Abdelatty warned against remarks aimed at blaming external parties for Ethiopia’s domestic crises.

“These statements coming from here and there are a blatant attempt to divert attention from what is happening internally or to pin these crises on external parties,” the foreign minister said.

“This is unacceptable and incorrect, and it will not help achieve the desired stability,” he added.

Shortly after Ethiopia’s accusations against Egypt, Addis Ababa declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours, without officially stating the reason.

Egypt responded in kind, declaring the Ethiopian embassy counselor in Cairo persona non grata and giving him 48 hours to leave.

This latest surge in fighting underscores the dramatic shift in Ethiopia’s political landscape under Abiy Ahmed.

In a stark transformation, the prime minister went from winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize to launching a devastating conflict in Tigray that is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people over recent years and caused severe man-made mass starvation.