To protest an armed attack

Sudan closes the border crossing with Ethiopia

Tank burned in clashes in Tigray.

Reuters

The authorities in the city of Qallabat in the state of Gedaref, eastern Sudan, decided to close the border crossing linking Sudan and Ethiopia, in protest against an armed attack against regular forces last Thursday.

The Sudanese authorities ’decision came in the wake of an Ethiopian militia attack on a group of Sudanese regular forces, which resulted in various injuries to them.

Informed sources said that the decision to close the border crossing was taken in anticipation of the outbreak of violent confrontations between the two parties in light of border tensions and the state of heightened alert among the Sudanese security services.

The sources indicated that an emergency meeting was held the day before yesterday, between Sudanese and Ethiopian security committees to discuss the situation, and the Ethiopian officials expressed their objection to the Sudanese side's decision to close the crossing, and urged the need to resolve disputes and security issues through negotiation, and emphasized that closing the borders is not a solution in light of trade exchange. There are common interests between the two countries, but the Sudanese side insists on the necessity of the Ethiopians presenting an official apology, arresting the perpetrators and the aggressors and bringing them to an urgent trial.

The borders of Sudan and Ethiopia have been witnessing military tension since last November, when the Sudanese army redeployed its forces in Fashaqa lands and reclaimed large areas of agricultural land that had been protected by militias for more than 25 years.

In addition, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Eritrean forces began their withdrawal from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The United States, Germany, France and other countries from the Group of Seven major industrialized countries recently demanded a rapid, unconditional and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers. The withdrawal follows the political process, and for months Eritrea and Ethiopia denied the presence of Eritrean forces in the region.

But on March 23, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, acknowledged its existence after mounting international pressure.

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