Sudan Asserts It Will Not Wage War Against Ethiopia

Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
TT
20

Sudan Asserts It Will Not Wage War Against Ethiopia

Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan (File photo: Reuters)

The Sudanese Sovereign Council asserted there is no decision to wage war against Ethiopia over the border conflict, reiterating its keenness to enhance the bilateral relations, without giving up "one inch" of Sudan's territory.

In a press release obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the council reported that Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta affirmed Sudan's keenness to strengthen its bilateral ties with Ethiopia, as a friendly neighbor.

Atta was confident that Sudan will not wage a war against its neighbor, asserting that Khartoum wants to pursue a peaceful solution, without making concessions about its territory.

The council member visited Djibouti within the framework of the Sudanese campaign aimed at explaining the situation with Ethiopia. He met with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Zakaria Cheikh Ibrahim, and a number of national army officials.

He explained that Khartoum has documents determining the borders between the two counties, noting that these documents are also with international and regional institutions and organizations.

The armed forces feared that developments in Sudan would lead to chaos and threaten national security, as happened in a number of neighboring and friendly countries, which prompted it to work diligently to overcome the complexities of that stage, according to Atta.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian refugees continued to flee from the Tigray region following the tensions and clashes between local forces and Ethiopian federal forces.

About 67,000 Ethiopian refugees arrived in Sudan since the civil war erupted in the region, according to the Sudan Commission for Refugees.

The Commission indicated that 34 new refugees arrived in the Hamdayet area in the Kassala border state, bringing the number of refugees in the state to 48,027, while five other refugees arrived in “City 8” in al-Gadarif state, raising the total number of refugees to 18,094.

According to the report issued Monday, the total number of Ethiopian refugees in Kassala and Gadarif in eastern Sudan reached 66,971 since the outbreak of the civil war in the Ethiopian Tigray region.



Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
TT
20

Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached, reported Reuters.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped to clinch a deal "in a few days", which could then lead to talks for a more permanent end to hostilities.

But one Palestinian source, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress.

Another said mediators had asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha.

"The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel's insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal," one Palestinian source said.

The source said Israel was proposing to maintain military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, they added.

"Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the source said.

A second Palestinian source accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and "stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination".

- Latest strikes -

The Gaza war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 57,823 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes across the territory on Saturday.

More than 30 people were killed on Friday, including 10 people who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency said.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it had attacked "approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in the last 48 hours.

Targets included "terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional terrorist infrastructure sites", it added.

Two previous ceasefires -- a week-long truce beginning in late November 2023 and a two-month one from mid-January this year -- led to the release of 105 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second Palestinian source said "some progress" had been made in the latest talks on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and getting more aid to Gaza.

Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralizing Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks.

That included the group giving up weapons, he said, warning that failure to do so would mean Israel would have to do so by force.