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.



UNRWA Chief: Gaza Polio Vaccination Coverage Has Reached 90%

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
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UNRWA Chief: Gaza Polio Vaccination Coverage Has Reached 90%

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)

Polio vaccination coverage in Gaza has reached 90%, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said on Monday, adding that the next step was to ensure hundreds of thousands of children got a second dose at the end of the month.

The campaign to vaccinate some 640,000 children in Gaza under 10 years of age against polio, which began on Sept. 1, presented major challenges to UNRWA and its partners due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

It followed confirmation by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month that a baby had been partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the Palestinian territory in 25 years, according to Reuters.

More than 446,000 Palestinian children in central and south Gaza were vaccinated earlier this month before a campaign to vaccinate a final 200,000 children in north Gaza began on September 10 despite access restrictions, evacuation orders and shortages of fuel.

The first round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza ended successfully, UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini said, adding that 90% of the enclave's children had received a first dose.

"Parties to the conflict have largely respected the different required "humanitarian pauses" showing that when there is a political will, assistance can be provided without disruption. Our next challenge is to provide children with their second dose at the end of September," he wrote on X.