Today, Wednesday, the African Union called on Sudan and Ethiopia to exercise restraint and refrain from escalation in the border area of Al-Fashqa, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed that the two countries are able to solve problems through dialogue, and the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its keenness to prevent escalation.
A statement issued by the African Union stated that the Chairperson of the Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, is following with great concern the escalating military tension between the two neighboring countries, calling for dialogue and restraint to resolve any dispute, according to the statement.
Faki indicated that the recent border skirmishes should not impede the diplomatic solutions that are being sought to resolve internal challenges in the two African Union member states.
Faki urged the two parties to continue to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the border dispute, under the auspices of the African Union's Border Program, especially that the two countries are founding members of the organization.
Ethiopian position
In the same context, the Ethiopian Prime Minister said today, Wednesday, that Sudan and Ethiopia are able to solve all problems in the spirit of brotherhood and good neighborliness.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister considered that there are those who want Ethiopia and Sudan to slip into fighting and strife.
"We must exercise restraint and not engage in confrontations under external pressures," he added.
Sudanese position
For his part, the British special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Robert Fairouz, said that it is not in the interest of Sudan and Ethiopia to escalate the events between them.
This came during the British envoy's meeting with the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Dafa Allah Al-Hajj, who in turn gave an explanation of the events in Al-Fashqa, saying that what Ethiopia did there did not comply with international conventions and norms, as Khartoum accuses Addis Ababa of executing 7 Sudanese soldiers and a citizen who were prisoners of it.
Al-Hajj explained that it is the duty of the Sudanese government to defend its lands and citizens, and that his country practices a policy of self-restraint, to prevent an escalation between the two countries as a result of the incident.
The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs meets the British Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan https://t.co/Zc0tcd8lKC# Suna # Sudan pic.twitter.com/5RQcvSitVY
— SUDAN News Agency (SUNA) 🇸🇩 (@SUNA_AGENCY) June 29, 2022
Tensions were renewed in the border area when the Sudanese army announced on Sunday that Ethiopia had executed 7 Sudanese soldiers and a civilian captured on Sudanese territory in the Al-Fashqa area, considering this a treacherous response.
On Tuesday, the Ethiopian army denied the news of the execution, and said in a statement that it was ready to work with its Sudanese counterpart in the investigations related to the incident, expressing hope that the Sudanese government would distance itself from any escalation.
According to Reuters, Asfa Ashigye, a senior security official in Ethiopia's Amhara region, said the Sudanese army fired long-range artillery from Monday morning until Tuesday afternoon, but no one was hurt.
Ethiopian military officials also talked about previous clashes on the border, but the Sudanese army denied in a statement what it said were reports of movement and detention of prisoners.
In late 2020, Khartoum announced the army's control of the entire territory of its country in the border area of Al-Fashqa, after skirmishes with the Ethiopian army.
The Al-Fashqa area is part of the Sudanese state of Gedaref, and includes the most fertile agricultural lands in Sudan, and is divided into 3 areas: the Greater Fashqa, the Lesser Fashqa, and the southern region.