Prime Minister of Ethiopia: We do not want a war with Sudan

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed today, Tuesday, that his country does not want to engage in a war with Sudan, at a time when tension related to a disputed border region raises fears of a wider conflict.

Abiy Ahmed told his country's parliament, "Ethiopia also has a lot of problems, and we are not ready to enter into a battle. We do not need a war. It is better to settle the issue peacefully."

He stressed that his country "does not want a war" with its neighbor against the background of the decades-old territorial dispute between the two parties, describing Sudan as a "brother country" whose people love Ethiopia.

The two countries are fighting over the Fashaqa agricultural area, which is located between two rivers, where the Amhara and Tigray regions in northern Ethiopia meet the Gedaref state in eastern Sudan.

The two countries are claiming the fertile region, which was a focus of tension recently, while about 60,000 refugees fled towards Sudan from the battles that took place in Tigray.

As the violence in Ethiopia approached the Sudanese border, Khartoum sent forces to Al-Fashaqa to regain seized lands and deploy at the international borders, according to Sudanese official media.

Last December, Khartoum sent reinforcements to Fashaqa after it accused Ethiopian forces and militias of ambushing Sudanese army elements that killed at least four soldiers.

A series of bloody confrontations followed, while the two sides exchanged accusations of violence and land violations.

Sudan reported in recent weeks that it had regained control of large parts of the region, stressing that it had always been within its borders.

This came in light of the tension over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which both Sudan and Egypt see as a threat to their water supplies.

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news