KHARTOUM —
Sudan said Monday it will recall
its ambassador to Addis Ababa for “consultations” following accusations the
Ethiopian army executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian, a charge which
Ethiopia denied.
اضافة اعلان
“In an act that contravenes all laws and customs of
war and international humanitarian law, the Ethiopian army executed seven
Sudanese soldiers and a citizen who were their captives,” the Sudanese armed
forces said.
Ethiopia denied its forces were responsible, saying
the casualties were the result of a skirmish inside its territory with a local
militia and voicing regret over the loss of life.
Tensions have risen in recent years, sparking
sporadic armed clashes, over the Al-Fashaqa border strip which is close to
Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region.
A Sudanese military official who requested anonymity
told AFP the soldiers were detained from a border area close to Al-Fashaqa.
Sudan’s foreign ministry said it “will immediately
recall its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations” and lodge a complaint with
the
UN Security Council.
“The Ethiopian ambassador to Khartoum will also be
summoned to inform him of Sudan’s condemnation of this inhumane behavior,” the
ministry said.
Ethiopia said it rejected the “misrepresentation of
facts” and that the incident was “deliberately concocted” to undermine
relations between the two countries.
A foreign ministry statement said it took place
“within Ethiopian territory after incursions by a Sudanese regular army unit
supported by elements of the terrorist
TPLF”, the Tigray People’s Liberation
Front.
It said the government “regrets the loss of life as
a result of a skirmish between the Sudanese army and a local militia”, adding
that an investigation would be carried out.
Ethiopia urged Sudan to refrain from “any
escalation” and to take measures to “de-escalate the situation”.
Sudanese army
chief
Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan visited sites in Al-Fashaqa on Monday, and
instructed soldiers “to not allow any new movements or encroachments on
Sudanese lands and against its citizens”.
Relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa have
soured over Al-Fashaqa, a fertile strip long cultivated by Ethiopian farmers
but claimed by Sudan, sparking sporadic deadly clashes between the Sudanese and
Ethiopian sides.
Tensions were heightened further after fighting
erupted in Tigray in November 2020, sending tens of thousands of refugees
fleeing into Sudan.
Khartoum and
Addis Ababa have since been locked in a
tense war of words, trading accusations of violence and territorial violations.
The border dispute feeds into wider tensions in the
region, including over Ethiopia’s controversial Blue Nile dam.
Sudan and Egypt, both downstream countries, have
been opposed to the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and pushed for an agreement
on the filling of its reservoir and the operation of the dam.
In February, Khartoum and Cairo slammed Addis Ababa
for unilaterally deciding to start power generation at the dam.
Sudan has been roiled by economic and political turmoil
since Burhan led a military coup last year that upended a transition to
civilian rule installed following the 2019 ouster of president Omar Al-Bashir.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
