Sudan has sent “significant military reinforcements” to the conflict in Ethiopia, state media reported on Saturday, just days after the military said troops were hiding there by Ethiopian forces.
The troops were stationed at the eastern border of al-Fashaq, the site of clashes between Ethiopian farmers who cultivated fertile land in the territory claimed by Sudan.
The region also borders on Ethiopia’s tense Tigris region, where fighting erupted last month, with more than 50,000 Ethiopians fleeing the conflict and entering Sudan in recent weeks.
“The Sudanese armed forces continue to advance in al-Fashaqa, recapturing stolen land and gaining positions internationally,” Sudanese news agency Suna reported.
On Tuesday evening, the Sudanese army said it attacked the troops “in an ambush by Ethiopian and militant forces in Sudanese territories”.
Although the army did not confirm the information, Sudanese media reported that four soldiers were killed and 27 wounded.
The chief of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Sudan’s highest governing body, the Sovereign Council, visited the region this week.
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk, during a visit to Addis Ababa last week, held talks with his Ethiopian rival Abi Ahmed about the demarcation of the border between the countries.
Addis Ababa insisted on downplaying the importance of the ambush, saying the incident did not threaten relations between the two countries.
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