Sudan Accuses Ethiopian Army of Border Attacks

Al-Burhan during a visit to the Sudanese troops on the eastern Sudan border after an attack by Ethiopian troops on 8 April 2020 (ST photo)

December 16, 2020 

(KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese army accused the Ethiopian army and its militias, of ambushing its forces inside the Sudanese territory, killing 4 elements, including an army officer and wounding 12 others.

The attack which is perceived as a new escalation from Sudan against its troops comes a few days after an accusation by a parliamentary committee accusing the Sudanese army of backing the Tigray rebels.

"On Tuesday evening, while our forces were returning to their base after inspecting the area around Jebel Abu Teyyor, inside the Sudanese territory, they were ambushed by Ethiopian forces and militias. The attack resulted in losses of human lives and equipment," said the Sudanese Army Military Media Center in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement did not mention the number of dead, but military sources told the Sudan Tribune that the ambush had claimed the lives of an officer with the rank of major and 3 others soldiers, in addition to injuring 12 soldiers.

The Sudanese army said that its troops will vigorously repulse any attack on the Sudanese territory and announced the deployment of its forces to prevent the "parties to the conflict in Ethiopia from using the Sudanese territories in their attacks".

Military Sources told the Sudan Tribune reporter in Gadaref that the Sudanese forces have been already deployed along the border.

The sources further said that fierce clashes have been taking place since the morning in the Al-Osra and east of Wad Aarod areas of Al-Quraysha locality and Abu Teyyour in Al-Fashaqa locality.

On 12 December, The Addis Ababa based newspaper, The Reporter, said that a parliamentary committee accused the Sudanese army of carrying out attacks on civilians after receiving bribes from the TPLF rebels.

The Committee "received reports from refugees who returned from Sudan that the TPLF forces are bribing some Sudanese forces to plot and instigate assault against civilians," said Lemma Tessema, who chairs a parliamentary committee to investigate the situation in Tigray.

The Ethiopian army and its Ahmara militiamen had earlier this year clashed with the Sudanese army several times. Addis Ababa had pledged to not repeat such attacks and formed a joint military committee on this respect.

Hamdok voices support

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok on Wednesday evening issued a statement expressing his government support to the army after the Ethiopian attack.

"The Council of Ministers affirms its support and stand with the armed forces," Hamdok said the government "affirms its confidence in the ability of our armed forces to protect the country’s borders and repel any aggression," he further said in what seemed a call for popular support to the army.

Sudan hosts over 52,000 refugees according to the latest estimation by the aid groups. Also, last week, the Sudanese army arrested and handed over Ethiopian soldiers who fled the ongoing clashes in the border Tigray region.

(ST)