Sudan’s Minister of Defence Yassin Abdel-Hadi has accused the Ethiopian army of fighting in the border area between the two countries.
Abdel-Hadi also blamed Ethiopian attacks for displacing the residents of 30 villages in Sudan’s southern Al-Fashaqa area.
He called on Ethiopia to stop launching attacks on civilians in Al-Fashaqa, adding that there is no border dispute with Ethiopia until negotiations take place. He said that Sudan’s borders with Ethiopia “are clear and stipulated in international agreements.”
Regarding the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), he said, “Ethiopia is procrastinating in the issues of the Renaissance Dam and the border.”
A Sudanese patrol came under shelling from Ethiopian forces, on Sunday, near the border with Ethiopia. The Sudanese army’s artillery responded with force and silenced the attacking artillery. No injuries or fatalities were recorded, but Sudan reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place.
Since last November, the Sudanese army has redeployed in the areas of Al-Fashaqa Al-Soghra and Al-Kubra, after it reclaimed lands from Ethiopian farmers who had been cultivating it under the protection of Ethiopian militias since 1995.
The Sudanese army regained control of the Khor Shad and Qala Al-Ban areas surrounding Mount Abu Tayyur, which are located within Sudanese territory 7km from Mount Abu Tayyour.
Earlier, a member of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Muhammad Suleiman Al-Faki, said that the Al-Fashaqa area is not disputed territory with Ethiopia, because it is internationally recognised as Sudanese.
Al-Faki added that the Ethiopians have been present in 17 locations inside Sudan during the past few years.
Al-Faki also said that the army has spread out along the eastern borders, and will not allow the presence of militias or regular forces from another country. He concluded that the Sudanese army is currently in control of 90% of Sudanese land that was occupied by Ethiopian militias and forces.
A member of the Sovereignty Council affirmed that the decision to regain Sudanese lands is a political and not a military one.
