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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)
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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.

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Israeli Minister Says Time Running out for Diplomatic Solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Israeli Minister Says Time Running out for Diplomatic Solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.

Gallant's remarks came as the White House Special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border where Israeli troops have been exchanging missile fire with Hezbollah forces for months.

"The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out," Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office, Reuters reported.

As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, "the trajectory is clear," he said.

The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to leave their homes.

On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army's northern command had recommended a rapid border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

While the war in Gaza has been Israel's main focus since the attack by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 last year, the precarious situation in the north has fuelled fears of a regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran.

A missile barrage by Hezbollah the day after Oct. 7 opened the latest phase of conflict and since then there have been daily exchanges of rockets, artillery fire and missiles, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory.

Hezbollah has said it does not seek a wider war at present but would fight if Israel launched one.

Israeli officials have said for months that Israel cannot accept the clearance of its northern border areas indefinitely but while troops remain committed to Gaza, there have also been questions about the military's readiness for an invasion of southern Lebanon.

However, some of the hardline members of the Israeli government have been pressing for action and on Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime foe of Gallant, called for him to be sacked.

"We need a decision in the north and Gallant is not the right person to lead it," he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in the exchanges of fire, which have left communities on both sides of the border as virtual ghost towns.