Egypt and Ethiopia have declared each other's top diplomats persona non grata, The National News reports.

Ethiopia initiated the row when its Foreign Ministry issued a brief statement late on Thursday, ordering a senior Egyptian diplomat, Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman, to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours. It gave no reason for its action.

Egypt responded by expelling a senior member of Ethiopia's diplomatic mission in Cairo, also giving him two days to leave.

The expulsions came one day after Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea, a close ally of Egypt, and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata. That prompted Asmara to sever diplomatic ties with its neighbor.

Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance, led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), that has battled troops loyal to Ethiopia's federal government since last week. The three countries, however, deny the accusation.

Egypt and Ethiopia are already locked in a bitter, decade-old dispute over the Nile's water, with Cairo claiming that a huge dam built by Addis Ababa will likely reduce Egypt's vital share of the river's water.