Soldier reportedly killed as renewed Sudanese-Ethiopian border clashes erupt

A Sudanese soldier was killed and eight wounded in an alleged Ethiopian attack amid continuing tension on the border.

2 min read

05 February, 2021

Tensions along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border continue [Getty]

New clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and Ethiopian forces in the disputed Al-Fashaqa Al-Soghra area on Sudan’s eastern border on Thursday, in which a Sudanese solider was killed.

The local daily Al-Sudani cited eyewitness accounts in Birkat Noreen, situated in the disputed territory, claiming that Ethiopian forces attacked the Sudanese army, and that Sudanese troops responded with their own fire.

The Sudanese army took control of the Ethiopian settlement of Melkamo inside Sudanese borders following the clashes, military sources told the Sudan Tribune.

Eight troops were wounded in the clashes, in addition to the dead soldier.

In April 2020, Sudanese and Ethiopian military representatives held talks in Khartoum and agreed to coordinate border control and combat cross-border crime.

This followed the Sudanese army’s deployment to the eastern border for the first time in 25 years.

Last December, Sudanese and Ethiopian delegates also met in Khartoum to de-escalate tensions after Ethiopian forces reportedly ambushed Sudanese troops along the border, leaving four dead and more than 20 wounded.

Ethiopian gunmen have repeatedly attacked Sudanese farmers in the past, with the aim of looting and plundering their resources, according to Khartoum.

Sudan accuses the Ethiopian army of supporting what it describes as "militias," which Addis Ababa denies. Ethiopia says that the "militias" are in fact "outlaw groups."

Along with Egypt, Sudan has expressed misgivings about Ethiopia's construction of the Great Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, fearing it could limit its own access to the Nile's waters.

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