On Sunday, the Sudanese Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, appealed to Ethiopia to withdraw its forces from the remaining sites it still occupies on the eastern borders.
The minister accused Addis Ababa of mobilizing military forces on the borders facing the presence of the Sudanese army.
After an emergency meeting of the Security and Defense Council, he added that the army would remain in its territories to preserve its sovereignty, calling on Ethiopia to withdraw its forces from some Sudanese lands "which it is still occupying, as soon as possible."
Residents of villages on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border complain about what they say are killings, kidnappings, looting of their property, and denial of cultivation of their lands, by what they called Ethiopian militias.
The residents of the village of Al-Layyah count more than 30 people were killed last week by those militias during the past 25 years, the last of whom were 6 women and a baby.
"Ethiopia is mobilizing and mobilizing militarily in the areas facing our forces in Fashaqa (east)," the defense council statement said.
The Sudanese statement added, "Despite this, we affirm that our forces will remain in their lands in order to preserve the sovereignty stipulated in the charters and agreements that affirm Sudan's right to the lands of mischief."
Khartoum also says it has regained lands that were controlled by Ethiopian militias for nearly 20 years, while Addis Ababa says that the Sudanese army has seized camps inside Ethiopian territory.
Militias and accusations
The Sudanese-Ethiopian border has witnessed remarkable developments, sparked by an armed attack targeting a Sudanese army force in Mount Turia (east) in mid-December.
On December 31, the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Omar Qamar al-Din, announced the army's control of the entire territory of his country on the border with Ethiopia.
Khartoum accuses Addis Ababa of supporting Ethiopian militias that seize the lands of Sudanese farmers with misfortune after they were expelled from it by force of arms, which Addis Ababa denies and says they are "outlaw groups."
And last Wednesday, the Ethiopian ambassador to Khartoum, Petal Amero, accused the Sudanese army of seizing 9 camps inside Ethiopian territory since last November.
This came on the heels of a statement by Moaz Tango, head of the National Border Commission in Sudan, in which he said that there are no Sudanese forces in Ethiopia (rather) "they are present in Sudan and know well the borders of their country."