Burhan: No Negotiations Before Ethiopia Recognizes Sudanese Sovereignty Over Al-Fashaqa

 Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AP)
Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AP)
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Burhan: No Negotiations Before Ethiopia Recognizes Sudanese Sovereignty Over Al-Fashaqa

 Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AP)
Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AP)

Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that no negotiations with Ethiopia would take place before Addis Ababa officially recognizes Sudanese sovereignty over the Al-Fashaqa area and demarcates the border.

During a visit to units in the Omdurman military zone, Burhan called on Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from all Sudanese territory on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Osman al-Hussein, the inspector general, director of the Medical Services Department, Head of Karary University, Head of Military Intelligence, and other senior officials.

“Unless there is an acknowledgment by the Ethiopian side that these lands are Sudanese and signs have been placed, we will not negotiate with anyone,” Burhan stressed.

He also pledged that the armed forces would remain the real protector of the people and the revolution, affirming its full commitment to respect popular choices.

Burhan further expressed his aspirations to preserve Sudan’s unity, vowing to coordinate with civilian political forces and peace partners.

“The country’s transitional phase has gone through enormous challenges that necessitated making many concessions and sacrifices,” he said.

Burhan also urged the armed factions that didn’t sign the peace agreement to sit and negotiate to reach an agreement that would contribute to building a modern state.

Sudan’s transitional government had deployed troops on the border strip with Ethiopia, to secure agricultural areas in al-Fashaqa.

Ethiopia and Sudan share a common boundary of over 1600 km which was drawn through a series of treaties between Ethiopia and the colonial powers of Britain and Italy. To date, this boundary has not been clearly demarcated.



Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
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Iraqi Kurdistan: Assailant of Assyrian Celebration Attack Affiliated with ISIS

 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 
 Akitu holiday celebrators carrying a flag for the Assyrians in Iraq (AP). 

Authorities in Duhok, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, announced on Wednesday that the attack carried out by a Syrian national during a Christian celebration in the city was an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, the attacker infiltrated a gathering of Syriac Christians celebrating the Akitu festival in central Duhok. He then pulled out an axe and attacked a young man, a 70-year-old woman, and a security officer.

Videos circulating on local media platforms showed a group of people apprehending the attacker, who was seen making hand gestures and shouting “Islamic State.” Shamon Shlimon, the deputy governor of Duhok, stated that initial investigations revealed the attacker was a Syrian national and that given the slogans he shouted, “it is clear that the attack was an act of terrorism.”

Later, security sources confirmed that the assailant admitted to police that he belonged to a terrorist organization.

The Kurdistan Regional Security Council later announced that the attacker was affiliated with an ISIS-linked group. In a press statement, the council said: “While the people of Duhok were celebrating Akitu, an individual holding extremist ISIS ideologies attacked citizens in the market with a sharp weapon.”

The Kurdistan Regional Presidency condemned the “criminal attack,” affirming that it would not tolerate any actions that undermine the culture of coexistence, acceptance, and tolerance.

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said it was “closely following” the investigation into the “criminal attack” in Duhok, assuring that the perpetrator will face legal consequences.

This is the first attack of its kind in Duhok. Chaldeans and Syriacs celebrate Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu) every April 1. During the recent attack, more than 8,000 people were present, half of whom were from outside the Kurdistan region, according to local reports.

The Akitu festival features celebrations, cultural and artistic events, and recreational activities, including traditional dances.