African Union clarifies its statement on Ethiopia tensions after Egypt objects

The African Union Commission has issued a clarification on Sunday, saying its October 1 statement did not assign blame to any neighboring state over Horn of Africa tensions.

• The African Union Commission said its October 1 statement was merely a call for de-escalation following the expulsion of diplomats from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, not an attribution of responsibility.
• The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to member states' sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs, stressing its positions fall within its institutional mandate.
• An informed Egyptian source told state news agency MENA that Cairo views the statement as "an incomprehensible attempt to drag it into an internal Ethiopian issue."
• The clarification followed renewed fighting between Ethiopian government forces and Tigray People's Liberation Front-linked fighters since September 23, which Ethiopia's army chief said Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea supported — a claim Cairo denied.