Sudan has strongly denied on Friday allegations its army was providing support to the Tigray rebels fighting against the Ethiopian government in northern Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian army stated that its forces killed some 50 fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) who attempted to cross from Sudan.
The military statement added that the army captured anti-vehicle mines and various kinds of explosives rebels had planned to use to sabotage the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
For his part, Sudanese army spokesman Brigadier Al-Tahir Abu Haja swiftly turned down the “baseless accusations” in a statement on Friday evening.
“Sudan and its army do not interfere in the internal issues of neighbouring Ethiopia or other countries,” said Abu Haja before urging Ethiopia to not involve Sudan in its internal disputes.
“This statement reflects the harsh reality faced by the Ethiopian regime because of the continuing violations of the rights of the (Ethiopian) people,” he added.
Sudan and Ethiopia are at odds over the border area of Al-Fashaga. Also, the tripartite talks over the GRED are stalled as Sudan calls for a legally binding agreement ensuring a regular exchange of water data to protect its dams.
In November 2020, war broke out in the Tigray region between the federal army and the TPLF which ruled the northern part of Ethiopia.
In June 2021, the TPLF retook control of Tigray and expanded the conflict into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.
Ethiopia has rejected an initiative to mediate the conflict by the Sudanese Prime Minister who is also the IGAD Chair.
The conflict displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians as aid groups estimate that about 900,000 people in Tigray are already in famine conditions, and five million others are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Source: Sudan Tribune