Tension on the Ethiopian-Sudanese border could spark a devastating war حرب
The Ethiopian-Sudanese border is experiencing great tension between the armies of the two countries that may spark a devastating war at any moment, according to a report from the British "Economist" magazine.
The magazine reports that the conflict between Sudan and Ethiopia over agricultural land in the Al-Fashqa area threatens a war in what it described as "the most dangerous place in the Horn of Africa."
Al-Fashqa is a fertile agricultural area located on the borders of the Ethiopian Tigray region, over which Khartoum and Addis Ababa dispute sovereignty.
Tensions escalated in this region after about 60,000 Ethiopians sought refuge in Sudanese lands to escape the battles that erupted in the Tigray region between the Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which used to dominate the region.
In December, Sudan deployed military reinforcements in Al-Fashqa after accusing Ethiopian forces of "amusing Sudanese forces" in it, which led to the killing of four of its soldiers.
Although Ethiopia downplayed the seriousness of the incident at the time, tension escalated between the two countries, leading to bloody clashes between them, accusing the other of being the initiator.
The "Economist" says in its report that the history of the conflict dates back to the early twentieth century, when the British, who ruled Khartoum at the time, signed border treaties with Ethiopia placing the region within Sudan, despite Ethiopia's objection.
The report indicated that a non-final settlement reached by former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi allowed Ethiopia to plow the land, provided that it recognizes Sudan's ownership of the area.
But the settlement ended last November, when war broke out in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked the Sudanese to close their borders to prevent Tigrayans from smuggling supplies.
Sudanese forces moved in and expelled the Ethiopian farmers what Addis Ababa considered an invasion of its lands.
The paper notes that the rebels in Tigray are likely to try to reach the Sudanese border, making Al-Fashqa area the next front line of the civil war.
The region of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, has been witnessing a military conflict since the fourth of last November, when the Ethiopian central government launched a military campaign against the rebels in the region.
The conflict in the region witnessed a major turning point recently, with the forces emanating from the Tigray People's Liberation Front regaining control of the regional capital, Mekele, months after the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced an attack on the region in response to attacks on federal army camps and attributed to the "Nation".
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