Egypt denies its support for Ethiopian rebels and considers Addis Ababa's statements an attempt to divert attention

(CNN) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said on Saturday that Egypt “has nothing to do” with what is happening inside Ethiopia, against the backdrop of Addis Ababa’s accusations against Egypt of supporting rebels against Abiy Ahmed’s government.

Egypt's official Middle East News Agency reported statements made by Abdel Aty in a televised interview, during which he said that the Egyptian state does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister also added that "the Ethiopian side's statements are an attempt to distract attention from what is happening internally there, and their primary goal is to escape from the internal crises that Ethiopia is facing."

On Thursday, Ethiopia announced that “an Egyptian diplomat is persona non grata,” and the ministry informed “the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa of the need for him to leave Ethiopian territory within 48 hours from the date of notification.”

Egypt responded in kind by giving an Ethiopian diplomat a 48-hour deadline before leaving the country and deeming him persona non grata.

The Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, claimed that Egypt and Sudan support a “new alliance” of armed groups seeking to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and claimed that these groups cannot confront the government without external support. He also accused Eritrea of ​​acting as a link between external powers and these groups.

In response to these accusations, the Sudanese Armed Forces recently announced their categorical rejection of the statements of the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army.