KHARTOUM (Somaliguardian) – Sudan’s army said on Sunday it had repelled an attempted incursion by Ethiopian troops in a disputed border area between the two countries.
The Ethiopian troops had been forced to retreat from Umm Barakit area, shortly after launching an attack, Sudanese military said in a statement, without providing further details.
The head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told a press conference that the incident took place on Saturday and it showed how the Sudanese military was protecting the country, days after failed coup attempt in Khartoum.
Relations between the neighboring countries have soured since Sudan redeployed its military in Fashaqa area last year, recovering about 2 million acres of fertile land occupied by Ethiopian Amhara militias, triggering the ire of the government of Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed.
Khartoum closed a key border crossing with Ethiopia 3 months ago following the kidnapping of a senior Sudanese military officer by Ethiopian militias. Troops of the two countries have traded fire several times over the past months and efforts to bring an end to tensions came to no avail. read more
Ethiopia has not immediately commented on the claims, which come weeks after Khartoum rebuffed an Ethiopian proposal to reopen a border crossing, asking Addis Ababa to give information on the whereabouts of kidnapped Sudanese soldiers. read more
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