In the first Sudanese reaction to Ethiopian statements, the spokesman for the Gedaref state government, Abdel-Wahab Awad, said that any ceremonial activity that takes place inside the refugee camps does not mean his government in anything, stressing that Sudan does not support any political activity opposing the Ethiopian government.
The Gedaref government spokesman stressed that Sudan is working to recover its lands, and hopes that the Ethiopian government will respond to the voice of reason, as he put it.
This came in response to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry’s call on the Government of Sudan to deal with caution with the Ethiopian refugee camps on its lands, noting that elements involved in the "Mai Kadra" massacre are using these camps as a safe haven to escape justice.
A statement by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry added that the celebration of the anniversary of the establishment of the Tigray Front, which was held in the refugee camps, is evidence of the criminal elements reorganizing themselves, to return to Ethiopia and to continue subversive activities, according to the text of the statement.
The statement warned that these elements have become a source of disinformation that terrorizes civilians who want to return to Ethiopia.
The United Nations said earlier that about 7,000 people have fled the violence that is tearing apart western Ethiopia, and have sought refuge in neighboring Sudan since November, adding to the tens of thousands who fled the Tigrayan war.
The Tigrayan war caused more than 61,000 people to flee across the border in search of safe haven in Sudan.
Due to the ethnic violence, 3 thousand refugees fled to Sudan's neighboring Blue Nile state, 1,000 of them have so far benefited from humanitarian aid.
In November, a few hundred refugees managed to cross the border, but the number has increased since then, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
"The situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past three months," said UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch.