Eritrea Denies Involvement in Border Conflict Between Sudan, Ethiopia

Ethiopian women are seen in the Sudan-Ethiopia border area of al-Fashqa, in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, on November 13, 2020. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
Ethiopian women are seen in the Sudan-Ethiopia border area of al-Fashqa, in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, on November 13, 2020. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
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Eritrea Denies Involvement in Border Conflict Between Sudan, Ethiopia

Ethiopian women are seen in the Sudan-Ethiopia border area of al-Fashqa, in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, on November 13, 2020. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
Ethiopian women are seen in the Sudan-Ethiopia border area of al-Fashqa, in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, on November 13, 2020. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki sent a message to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, affirming that his country is not involved in the ongoing border conflict between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Presidential Adviser Yemane Ghebreab delivered the message during a visit to Khartoum on Wednesday.

Afewerki said that his country calls for a peaceful solution between the two sides in a way that serves peace, stability, and security in the region.

In his message, the Eritrean President also stressed the depth of relations between both countries and the need to strengthen and develop them.

He also voiced concern over the border dispute, stressing that his country supports Sudan’s right to extend its sovereignty over its lands.

Last week, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that Ethiopia “strongly believes that 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.”

This was a hint at Eritrea, as revealed by Sudanese media.

In response, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry described the Ethiopian statement as a "betrayal to the history of Ethiopia’s relations with Sudan and a denial to the mutual relations between the people of the two countries."

In another context, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew urged the Ethiopian asylum seekers in Sudan to return to Ethiopia.

Andargachew asserted that the Human Rights Council has commenced a probe in allegations of human rights violations in Tigray, including the Mai Kadra massacre.

The Ethiopian FM said that some refugees in the Sudanese camps committed crimes, to which they will be prosecuted.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.