Sudan Claims Attack By Ethiopian Force Near Border

The Sudanese army has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks by Ethiopian troops near the border.

Tensions rose after fighting erupted in Tigray in November 2020 and sent tens of thousands of refugees fleeing into Sudan.

The Sudanese army said in a statement yesterday: “Our forces responsible for guarding the harvest in al-Fashaka have been attacked by Ethiopian forces and militias, seeking to intimidate farmers and disrupt the harvest.” 

The Sudanese army did not say how many soldiers had been killed, but Reuters news agency quoted military sources as saying that at least six soldiers had been killed in the attack.

This information has been received by the international media since yesterday.

“Ethiopia and Sudan have strong ties and there is no reason for Sudan to attack its neighbor Sudan,” Berhanu said. “Ethiopia did not attack Sudan”

“There is a border dispute. This border dispute must be resolved peacefully.”

He said the land will be restored through peace and negotiations.

“Most of the time there is a land dispute going to court because we know this. We do not want to disturb Sudan but Sudan is showing signs of disturbance.

There are some who do not represent the people and the government of Sudan but are working to undermine the Ethiopian-Sudanese relationship; We know who they are; History will judge; We hope the people of Ethiopia and Sudan will resolve the issue, whether with the Renaissance Dam or with land claims, ” he stated to the media.

The zone, which also borders Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region, has seen sporadic deadly clashes between the two sides over the past years, but escalated last year.

Khartoum and Addis Ababa have since been locked in a tense war of words over the region, trading accusations of violence and territorial violations.

The border dispute feeds into wider tensions in the region, including over Ethiopia’s controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.