Sudan, Ethiopia Trade Accusations in Escalating Border Conflict

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. (Reuters file photo)
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. (Reuters file photo)
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Sudan, Ethiopia Trade Accusations in Escalating Border Conflict

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. (Reuters file photo)
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. (Reuters file photo)

Sudan on Saturday accused Ethiopia of an "unforgivable insult" in its sharpest statement since a decades-old border dispute flared late last year.

Clashes erupted between Sudanese and Ethiopian forces over Al-Fashqa, an area of fertile land settled by Ethiopian farmers that Sudan says lies on its side of a border demarcated at the start of the 20th century, which Ethiopia rejects.

In a statement on Thursday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry said it believes "the conflict being trumpeted by the Sudanese government's military wing could only serve the interests of a third party at the expense of the Sudanese people."

Sudan's foreign ministry responded on Saturday by saying "slander towards Sudan and accusation of being an agent for other parties is a grave and unforgivable insult."

"What the Ethiopian foreign ministry cannot deny is the third party whose troops entered with Ethiopian troops trespassing on Sudanese land."

Earlier this week, Sudan accused Ethiopian troops of crossing the border after a similar act by Ethiopian aircraft last month, both of which Ethiopia denied, Reuters reported.

Ethiopia on Thursday reiterated its accusation that Sudan had invaded in early November, attacked and displaced Ethiopians and took control of vacated military camps.

In its statement, Sudan said that Ethiopia had affirmed the 1903 border agreement several times, most recently in 2013.

It accused Ethiopia's foreign ministry of "exploiting (the border issue) for personal interests and for the specific interests of a certain group."

Both countries called on each other to pursue legal means to resolve the border issues.

An African Union mediator arrived in Khartoum on Thursday to discuss the conflict, as well as the ongoing negotiations between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.



Iran Nuclear Tensions Escalate: Tehran Warns against 'Military Adventurism', China Urges Dialogue

A Planet Labs satellite image of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, located 120 kilometers north of Isfahan, taken last April. (AP)
A Planet Labs satellite image of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, located 120 kilometers north of Isfahan, taken last April. (AP)
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Iran Nuclear Tensions Escalate: Tehran Warns against 'Military Adventurism', China Urges Dialogue

A Planet Labs satellite image of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, located 120 kilometers north of Isfahan, taken last April. (AP)
A Planet Labs satellite image of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, located 120 kilometers north of Isfahan, taken last April. (AP)

China has urged a return to negotiations to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis as Washington called on Tehran to halt its nuclear escalation and missile activities. Meanwhile, Iran lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council, warning of swift retaliation against any US or Israeli attack.

US President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday his threat of an unprecedented strike on Iran if it refuses his offer for talks. According to sources, Trump sent a message to the Iranian leadership in early March, giving Tehran a two-month deadline to respond.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed the possibility of an external attack on Monday but warned the US of a strong response if it took military action. He stated that if Washington attempted to incite unrest within Iran, “the Iranian people would respond as they have in the past”.

Later, Iran formally complained to the UN Security Council about what it described as “reckless and hostile” US statements.

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani wrote that Tehran “strongly warns against any military adventurism and will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime, against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests.”

China, for its part, criticized Washington’s threats of military force against Iran’s nuclear program. According to the Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged the US to return to the negotiating table and demonstrate goodwill, stressing that sanctions and military threats will not lead to a resolution.

He further emphasized that Beijing believes the only effective solution is a political and diplomatic one and urged a renewed consensus within the framework of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani rejected the threats against Iran. In a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, he expressed Iraq’s commitment to Iran’s security and stability.

Iraq’s official news agency reported that Sudani emphasized coordination among Islamic nations to confront shared challenges and threats, fostering security and stability.

In response to Khamenei’s speech, the Trump administration reiterated its determination to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. While reaffirming its preference for diplomacy, it warned that other options remain on the table.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration will not allow a nuclear Iran.

She accused Iran of being a key state sponsor of terrorism, supporting groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Qaeda. She also pointed to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US designates as a terrorist organization.

Referencing Trump’s message to Iran, she outlined Washington’s demands: Tehran must halt its nuclear escalation, end its ballistic missile program, dismantle its regional proxy networks, cease aggressive activities, stop repressing its own people, and abandon the destabilizing actions of the IRGC.