Sudan Responds with Force to Border Attack from Ethiopia

A member of the Ethiopian army in Dansha, Ethiopia on November 25, 2020. (Getty Images)
A member of the Ethiopian army in Dansha, Ethiopia on November 25, 2020. (Getty Images)
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Sudan Responds with Force to Border Attack from Ethiopia

A member of the Ethiopian army in Dansha, Ethiopia on November 25, 2020. (Getty Images)
A member of the Ethiopian army in Dansha, Ethiopia on November 25, 2020. (Getty Images)

The Sudanese military responded with artillery fire to an attack from Ethiopia against its forces deployed on a share border region with its neighbor.

Ethiopian forces struck the Jabal Abutiour border region on Sunday. The area is controlled by Sudan. No casualties were reported.

Amid the clashes, a military delegation, headed by chief of staff Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, headed to the border region to assess the latest developments and military operations.

The fighting took place despite statements from Khartoum and Addis Ababa that they wanted to avoid a border war. They instead stressed the need for negotiations to defuse tensions.

Ethiopia has, however, conditioned that the military withdraw from regions that were recaptured. Sudan has rejected any negotiations on the border, saying its forces are controlling their country’s territories.

It also says that the borders are recognized internationally and all that remains is to set the markers that have been removed due to the nature of the area. It urged the need to set the markers within close distances from each other whereby each point can be seen from the next with the naked eye.

Sudanese Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim Yassin told Al Arabiya that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s remarks about “disputed regions” prompted Khartoum to dispatch military units to impose their control over Sudanese regions on the border.

Yassin slammed the PM’s remarks over the alleged border dispute, saying the borders are “clearly demarcated according to international agreements.”

He also refused to link the border developments to the stalled negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

“The common factor in both these issues is Ethiopia’s stalling,” he charged. “We do not acknowledge a dispute in the first place so negotiations are not valid.”

Tensions have been high on the border since December after the Sudanese military redeployed its forces in the al-Fashqa region, expelling Ethiopian militias that were controlling it.

The move was prompted by an attack by the militias against Sudanese forces.



Hamas Sources: Gaza Ceasefire Talks Ongoing Despite Israeli Obstacles

Palestinians in Gaza City wait to receive food aid on Monday (AFP)
Palestinians in Gaza City wait to receive food aid on Monday (AFP)
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Hamas Sources: Gaza Ceasefire Talks Ongoing Despite Israeli Obstacles

Palestinians in Gaza City wait to receive food aid on Monday (AFP)
Palestinians in Gaza City wait to receive food aid on Monday (AFP)

Despite accusations from Hamas that Israel is deliberately placing hurdles in the way of indirect negotiations in Doha aimed at securing a two-month ceasefire, sources within the movement confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that there are ongoing consultations.

Hamas sources said Israel continues to obstruct progress in the Qatar-hosted negotiations, which have been underway for over a week with only limited breakthroughs.

“Each time there is partial progress on some provisions, the Israeli delegation delays discussions on other points and refuses to engage until it receives fresh instructions from officials in Tel Aviv,” the sources explained.

Palestinian negotiators believe this approach is designed to buy time and apply pressure on the Palestinian factions’ team, while ultimately blaming them for any failure of the talks, which are dragging on due to Israel’s contradictory positions.

Humanitarian Aid a Major Sticking Point

The most significant obstacle, according to Hamas, remains Israel’s refusal to commit to a comprehensive withdrawal plan, as well as its insistence on maintaining the current aid delivery mechanism, which Hamas describes as a “death trap” for civilians in Gaza.

The sources said Israel has agreed in principle to allow aid into areas it withdraws from through international organizations. However, the Palestinian delegation is demanding that assistance be delivered under the humanitarian protocol negotiated in January.

This protocol is broader than Israel’s proposals and includes not only food and medical supplies, but also construction materials, equipment to repair hospitals and schools, and goods for the private sector to sell in local markets.

Israel has informed mediators that it reached an understanding with the European Union to allow 500 trucks per day into Gaza, which the Palestinian negotiators welcomed. Still, they insisted on clear guarantees that the deliveries would follow the January protocol without manipulation.

Maps and Withdrawal Timelines

Maps of military positions remain another major sticking point. The Hamas delegation is demanding that any Israeli withdrawal be based on the maps set out in the previous ceasefire agreement and implemented gradually according to a clear timetable.

That January agreement had allowed Israeli forces to remain temporarily in buffer zones around Gaza, ranging from 500 to 1,000 meters wide. The Palestinian side is adamant that troops must not remain inside Gaza itself and that the withdrawal must lead to a complete pullout in a second phase of the agreement.

According to the sources, the negotiators want precise language in each clause to prevent Israel from delaying or avoiding implementation, as has occurred in past agreements.

Waiting for US Pressure

Negotiations have not broken down, and the Hamas delegation believes American pressure will be critical to moving Israel off its current positions.

On Sunday evening, US President Donald Trump expressed hope that the ceasefire discussions would yield concrete results within days.

Later that night, a senior Hamas delegation met with Islamic Jihad leaders to coordinate positions and underscore that any deal must fulfill Palestinian aspirations, above all, ending the war, securing a full Israeli withdrawal, reopening crossings, and launching reconstruction.

Flexibility on the Morag Corridor

Meanwhile, Israel’s Security Cabinet convened Sunday evening to review the possibility of a prisoner swap. According to Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers he was interested in reaching an agreement on the hostages, even as Hamas continues to reject Israel’s terms. He warned that fighting could resume after any temporary ceasefire if Hamas does not accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu, once firmly opposed to any pullback from the Morag Corridor. a strategic strip that bisects Rafah and separates it from Khan Younis - is now willing to show some flexibility.

Israeli control of the 12-kilometer corridor would allow it to further fragment Gaza and expand its security buffer zones.