Sudan reiterates not ceding Fashaqa district to Ethiopia

CAIRO – 12 April 2021: Member of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Yasser al-Atta reiterated Sunday not ceding Fashaqa district to Ethiopia whose forces and militias used to control.

The lieutenant-general made the statement while addressing officers and soldiers at the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported in March that the Ethiopian government had provided a militant group in Southern Sudan with arms, ammunition, and combat equipment to facilitate the occupation of Karmak City lying on the Blue Nile.

The group is led by an insurgent called Joseph Toqa, and he himself and other leaders of the group received the Ethiopian shipment in an area called Yabos on February 27.

That is why the Sudanese army sent reinforcements to the southern border area near the Blue Nile, as reported by Al Arabiyah.

In February, The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Sudan does not accept any mediation in the ongoing conflict with Ethiopia over borders at this stage. 

The ministry stipulated that Ethiopia eyes occupying Sudanese lands saying that deploying the army in Al Fashaqa district is final and shall not be revisited. Further, the ministry added that if Ethiopia thinks it has rights in Al Fashaqa, it can resort to law.

Sudan had summoned its ambassador to Addis Ababa to consult over the border issue as the district is experiencing escalating tensions that resulted in the death of dozens on both sides.

Some Ethiopian groups used to cultivate lands in Sudan's Al Fashqa region for decades, which was tolerated by overthrown leader Omar al-Bashir but is no longer accepted by the transitional government. The area spanning over 250 square kilometers has been experiencing deadly clashes, and armed attacks by Ethiopian militias.

It is noted that 50,000 out of 950,000 displaced Ethiopians fled to Sudan because of the fighting initiated by the Ethiopian federal government against the Tigray region.