Sudan: new rise in tension in the el-Fashaga triangle on the Ethiopian border
A young girl from Tigray facing the Umm Rakouba refugee camp, which hosts people who fled the Ethiopian region, in Qadarif in eastern Sudan, December 14, 2020. AP - Nariman El-Mofty
Text by: RFI Follow
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Tensions have escalated in eastern Sudan on the border with Ethiopia.
The Sudanese army claims that a patrol of soldiers was ambushed by Ethiopian armed forces.
The clashes took place in the area of the el-Fashaga triangle.
An agricultural territory which is the subject of a standoff between the two countries.
Sudanese forces suffered "loss of life and material".
The army has strengthened its presence in Gedaref State.
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With our special envoy to the Ethiopian border
,
Eliott Brachet
Military convoys launched at full speed on the roads, helicopters in the sky, the tension was palpable, this Thursday afternoon, in Gadaref.
These troop movements also coincided with the unexpected visit of the head of the Sovereign Council.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan traveled in person alongside the Sudanese troops.
Military sources confirmed to RFI the sending of reinforcements deployed along the Ethiopian border.
According to the same sources, the army would have regained control of the Jebel Abutiour area
where the ambush took place
.
Clashes that left four Sudanese dead, including an officer, and at least 12 injured.
Risk of destabilization
The Sudanese army directly implicates the Ethiopian militias called "
shiftas
" who have controlled the Fashaga triangle for years.
But she also accuses the Ethiopian federal army of having participated in the fighting.
Addis Ababa has not denied.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures us that the Ethiopian army has responded to an intrusion of soldiers on its territory.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called for dialogue between the two countries.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry denounced unjustified attacks that could destabilize the region.
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