Escalating tensions: Alarm mounts over escalating Ethiopia-Sudan border tensions

Regional leaders sounded the alarm on Wednesday over rising tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan in a disputed border region and called for talks to stop the crisis.

The call by the African Union and another regional group comes after Khartoum claimed Ethiopian forces had killed seven Sudanese soldiers and one civilian during a clash in the volatile al-Fashqa region last week – charges denied by Addis Ababa.

Sudan announced on Monday that it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa over the incident in al-Fashqa, a fertile strip of land that has long been a source of friction between the two states.

In a statement, the pan-African body said, AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat “is following with deep concern over the escalating military tensions between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Sudan and the deep concern for the loss of life on their common border.” apologizing.” ,

“The President appeals to the complete abstinence from any military action, whatever its origin, and calls for dialogue between the two brother countries to resolve any dispute.”

The AU’s concern was echoed by another regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which called on both countries to “actively seek diplomatic means to find a lasting and lasting solution on the matter”.

– ‘useless act’ –

Later on Wednesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also called for restraint.

“We need to remain calm and show restraint for the sake of our shared interests and good neighbours,” he said in an Arabic-language statement addressed to Sudanese and Ethiopians.

Sudan on Monday accused Ethiopia of holding troops in al-Fashka on June 22, announcing it was recalling its envoy and filing complaints with the UN Security Council and regional organisations.

The military, which has been in power since a coup in October 2021, has vowed “the deadly act will not pass”.

And on Wednesday, the army published photographs of the slain soldiers, along with their names and ranks.

But Addis Ababa has in turn claimed that Sudanese forces entered Ethiopian territory and that casualties resulted from skirmishes with local militias, denying that its troops were in the area at the time.

The Ethiopian government said it rejected “misrepresentation of facts” and that the incident was “deliberately concocted” to undermine ties.

The Sudan Tribune newspaper reported that the Sudanese army attacked Ethiopian troops in the al-Fashka region on Tuesday, but army spokesman Nabil Abdullah denied this.

“We haven’t attacked anyone and we won’t and we’re not planning on that. But we won’t allow any armed force from any other country that wants to cross our international border,” he told AFP. It is our right to deal legally.” Khartoum.

An official on condition of anonymity said: “It’s not true, just unconfirmed and misinformation.”

– land and water stress –

On Monday, Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited al-Fashqa, where he instructed troops to “not allow any new movement or encroachment on Sudanese land and against its citizens”.

There have been years of differences between Khartoum and Addis Ababa over al-Fashqa.

The area, which lies close to the Tigre, the war-torn northern region of Ethiopia, has long been farmed by Ethiopian farmers but claimed by Sudan.

The dispute led to sporadic clashes between the two sides, some fatal.

The rift feeds into widespread tensions over land and water between neighbours, in particular by Ethiopia’s mega-dam on the Blue Nile.

Sudan and Egypt, both downstream countries, have been opposed to the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and insisted on an agreement on filling its reservoir and dam operation.

Tensions escalated after fighting broke out in the Tigre in November 2020, forcing tens of thousands of refugees to flee to Sudan.

Sudan has been mired in economic and political turmoil since Burhan led a military coup that transitioned to civilian rule following the 2019 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.