Ethiopia has accused Sudanese troops of killing ‘many civilians’ in recent fighting over disputed land on the border.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated since conflict erupted on November 4 in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, with several deadly clashes taking place on fertile agricultural land in the al-Fashqa area across the border. The dispute runs the risk of drawing a third country into a regional conflict involving troops from neighboring Eritrea.
Ethiopian authorities have observed Sudanese military forces carrying out organized attacks with heavy machine guns and armored convoys at their border, Dina Mufti, spokeswoman for Ethiopia’s foreign ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. Ethiopian farmers in the region looted their properties while ‘many civilians were killed and wounded’, he said.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din did not respond to requests for comment and calls to the North African nation’s information ministry and the Sudanese army remained unanswered.
Al-Din said last week that Sudan’s army had taken control of most of the disputed land in the al-Fashqa area. He downplayed the prospect of a conflict, saying the government would use diplomatic channels to resolve the dispute.
Both parties met last month to discuss the border issue, but made no progress.
Amhara Militi
Foreign diplomats and Sudanese officials who followed the talks said that while Sudanese troops moved to the Al-Fashqa area after the Ethiopian federal troops left to help with the conflict in Tigray, large groups of Ethiopian ethnic Amhara militants mobilized in the area.
The state of Amhara, whose fighters supported the attack on the Ethiopian federal army in Tigray, is claiming ownership of parts of al-Fashqa, including areas within Sudanese territory.
“Amhara militias are claiming renewed aggression on the border that could lead to further provocations,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the African Council of Africa’s Center. “If left unchecked, it represents the ‘low probability and high impact’ scenario that could have devastating and far-reaching consequences.”
Sudan says the border area around al-Fashqa has been demarcated under colonial-era treaties dating back to 1902, which place the country firmly within its international borders. Khartoum has historically allowed Amhara farmers to do business and live on fertile land as long as they pay taxes and work under Sudanese laws, and Ethiopia in turn has recognized the country as Sudanese.
Foreign fighters
The Sudanese border has already been destabilized by the fighting in Tigray. The UN said on Tuesday that numerous refugees were still arriving in Sudan due to ongoing violence in the area.
“Some 800 people were crossed in the first few days of the new year from the Tigray region of Ethiopia in eastern Sudan,” said Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency in Geneva. “The latest arrivals say they were caught in the conflict and were the victims of various armed groups.”
Despite previous denials, Ethiopian officials have begun admitting the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray. Ethiopian army general Belay Seyoum said last week that Eritrean troops had entered Ethiopia “uninvited” while federal forces were being attacked by Tigraian troops.
‘We bird bad it had to happen, ”he said. “We can solve our internal problems ourselves. We are capable of that. ”
– With assistance by Samuel Gebre
(Updates with comments by UN, Ethiopian officials from second paragraph after subheading Foreign Fighters)