Sudan Says GERD, Border Conflict Behind Tensions with Ethiopia

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi (AFP)
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi (AFP)
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Sudan Says GERD, Border Conflict Behind Tensions with Ethiopia

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi (AFP)
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi (AFP)

Sudan rejected Addis Ababa's claim that al-Fashaqa border region is Ethiopian, saying the claim is completely unacceptable, and warning that such statements could create further tensions.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi accused Ethiopia at a press conference in Khartoum of "fabricating issues" with Sudan to "escape its internal problems," adding that the statements issued by Ethiopian officials are not appropriate for diplomacy.

The FM lauded the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces for their efforts to protect state sovereignty over Sudanese lands in the east of the country.

"We recognize Ethiopia's right to benefit from development sources, but this should not harm other Blue Nile basin countries," she asserted.

Al-Mahdi praised the United Nations Security Council's statement on Wednesday calling on Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt to continue the African Union-sponsored talks on GERD according to a timeframe to reach a legally binding agreement on the operation and filling of the dam.

During his visit to Khartoum last week, Congo's Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula presented a detailed proposal on resuming negotiations, noting that her country would respond to this proposal in the coming days.

Al-Mahdi acknowledged disagreements regarding the borders with Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Sudan, which turned into an arena of tensions.

Securing the borders is a priority of Sudanese national security, said al-Mahdi, adding that her country will deal firmly with any conflict.

Al-Mahdi said that the international community has failed to help Sudan host the Ethiopian refugees from the Tigray region in the camps, indicating that it did not even fulfill about 30 percent of the appeals launched by Sudan to meet needs in this regard.

The Minister said that Sudan entered a new phase in its foreign relations after the December revolution, noting that it currently enjoys good relations with all countries following its removal from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

She explained that Sudan has well-established relations with the Arab countries, asserting their continuous coordination in development cooperation, investment, and combating terrorism and extremism.



RSF Shelling On Camp Kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur, Say Rescuers

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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RSF Shelling On Camp Kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur, Say Rescuers

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region on Thursday, killing eight civilians and injuring others, a local rescue group said.

The bombardment hit Abu Shouk camp, which hosts tens of thousands of displaced people on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur.

El-Fasher remains the last major stronghold in Sudan's western Darfur region not under the control of the RSF, who have been at war with the regular army since April 2023, AFP reported.

"The Abu Shouk camp witnessed heavy artillery bombardment by the RSF... killing eight people," the camp's Emergency Response Room said in a statement.

In recent weeks, El-Fasher, which has been under RSF siege since last year, has been locked in intense fighting between warring sides in a region also gripped by famine.

Thursday's offensive comes just days after a series of attacks by the RSF targeted another battleground region of Sudan.

More than 450 people, including 35 children, were killed in several villages of North Kordofan, southwest of the capital Khartoum, according to a statement released this week by the UN's children agency.

"No child should ever experience such horrors," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now."

On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have killed more than 470 army personnel near the town of El-Obeid, also in North Kordofan, in a statement posted to its Telegram channel.

Independent verification of casualties in Sudan remains difficult due to restricted access to its conflict zones.

Now in its third year, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, creating what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement crisis.

In December last year, famine was officially declared in three displacement camps near El-Fasher, namely Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam, according to the UN.

Since the Sudanese army regained control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has shifted its operations westward, focusing on Darfur and Kordofan in a bid to consolidate territorial gains.

In April, RSF fighters seized the Zamzam displacement camp, located near Abu Shouk.

The assault forced nearly 400,000 people to flee, according to UN figures, effectively emptying one of the country's largest camps for the displaced.

Sudanese analyst Mohaned el-Nour told AFP the RSF aims to redefine its role in the conflict.

"Their goal is no longer to be seen as a militia, but as an alternative government in western Sudan, undermining the legitimacy of the authorities in Port Sudan."

He added that the recent surge in violence in North Kordofan was likely intended to divert the army's attention from El Fasher, where the military is trying "at all costs" to maintain.