SUDAN ACCUSES ETHIOPIA OF FRESH BORDER ATTACKS

Sat 26 December 2020:

The Sudanese Minister of Information Faisal Mohamed Saleh has accused the Ethiopian army of being behind the attacks targeting Sudanese territory over the past few days, constituting the latest escalation in the discourse between the two countries on the ongoing border crisis.

The Sudanese minister confirmed that intelligence reports indicate that the weapons used in the attacks belong to the army, in a clear reference to Addis Ababa which denied any involvement in the attacks.

However, at the same time, Saleh expressed: “The Sudanese government welcomes any friendly and diplomatic solution to the differences with Ethiopia.”

Sudanese military sources confirmed that the Sudanese army had deployed additional military units in the eastern region of Wad Aroud, adjacent to the Ethiopian border, reported local media.

The Ethiopian militias also deployed military reinforcements, including troop carriers and artillery, west of the Abd Al-Rafia area near the Sudanese border, in anticipation of an upcoming military confrontation between the two sides.

The border negotiations between Sudan and Ethiopia have reached a dead-end, following the failure of bilateral talks that took place in Khartoum.

The sources added that the two delegations would convey to their leadership the results of the talks and the obstacles facing the two parties during the negotiations that started last Tuesday, in light of the ongoing clashes.

Sources have previously indicated that the distance separating the two parties to the conflict does not exceed three kilometres. It has been suggested that the situation on the ground warns of a possible confrontation, especially after units of the Sudanese army responded on Wednesday to attacks launched by the militias targeting the Jabal Abu Tayyour area.

The Sudanese army launched a large-scale military operation in early November to recover agricultural lands seized by the Ethiopian militias with the support of the Ethiopian army.