Egypt exploits Sudan-Ethiopia tension to advance position in GERD talks
As tensions increased between Sudan and Ethiopia, Egypt quickly intervened to push Khartoum to its side as trilateral negotiations on the Nile dam hit a wall over Addis Ababa’s insistence to start filling the dam in July.
CAIRO — The border between Sudan and Ethiopia has been the stage of serious tensions and unprecedented escalation from the Sudanese side, after a Sudanese officer was killed and several civilians and military officers were injured in clashes between the Sudanese forces and an Ethiopian militia in Sudan’s al-Fashqa region on May 29. The Sudanese army officially accused the Ethiopian forces of backing the militia and warned of a full-blown war between the two countries.
The official spokesman for the Sudanese army, Brig. Amer Mohamed al-Hassan, said in a May 29 press statement, “Backed by the Ethiopian army, the militias have attacked many areas along the border between Ethiopia and Sudan and have confiscated Sudanese resources.”
On May 30, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled the Ethiopian charge d’affaires in Khartoum in a sign of protest against “the infiltration of Ethiopian militias, supported by the Ethiopian army, and their attack on Sudanese citizens and armed forces on Sudanese territories.” The ministry expressed its absolute denouncement of this egregious attack.
In an attempt to appease the situation, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement May 31, arguing that it sees “no reason for animosity between the two nations.” It called on Sudan to cooperate and jointly investigate the circumstances of the incident, saying, “We believe it is best to address such incidents through diplomatic dialogue based on friendly ties and peaceful coexistence between our countries.”
