Sudan says army officers ambushed by Ethiopian forces, militia

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 17 December 2020 8:17 AM

Sudan's military says several of its officers have been ambushed by Ethiopian "forces and militias" during a security patrol of the border region.

"During the return of our forces from combing the area around Jabal Abutiour inside our territory, they were ambushed by Ethiopian forces and militias inside Sudanese territory, as a result of which lives and equipment were lost," the Sudanese army said in a statement on Wednesday, adding the attack had occurred a day earlier.

However, it did not reveal the precise number of the officers killed in the ambush.

According to locals, reinforcements were being sent to the area, which is part of al-Fashaqa, a locality that stretches over about 600 square kilometers of highly fertile agricultural land and where some Ethiopian refugees have crossed into after fleeing hostilities at home.

Fierce fighting broke out between Ethiopia's government and the then-governing party in Tigray region — the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) — on November 4, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the launch of military operations against the regional government there.

The prime minister has accused rebel forces loyal to the TPLF of launching deadly attacks on a pair of federal military camps in the region. He has also accused the party of defying his government and seeking to undermine it.

The clashes are believed to have killed thousands of people and displaced 950,000, some 50,000 of them into Sudan, according to United Nations (UN) estimates.

On Sunday, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited Ethiopia briefly and expressed his concerns about threats to Sudan's security along its border with the flashpoint Tigray region. His visit came two weeks after the Ethiopian leader declared victory in the fight against the TPLF.

Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is now faced with the massive influx. UN agencies have been mobilizing resources and trying to assist the refugees, who have been arriving in growing numbers with few possessions or provisions.

Regional experts have suggested that Sudan could use its control over key border crossings as leverage to press the warring sides in Ethiopia to talk. But so far there are no public signs it is doing so.