Sudan's Burhan Visits Troops Near Border with Ethiopia

Sudanese army soldiers in the capital Khartoum on August 31, 2019. (Getty Images)
Sudanese army soldiers in the capital Khartoum on August 31, 2019. (Getty Images)
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Sudan's Burhan Visits Troops Near Border with Ethiopia

Sudanese army soldiers in the capital Khartoum on August 31, 2019. (Getty Images)
Sudanese army soldiers in the capital Khartoum on August 31, 2019. (Getty Images)

Sudan’s military head Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Monday traveled to the disputed border region of Al-Fashaqa after around three days of an attack launched by Ethiopian forces that killed and injured several Sudanese soldiers.

The official news agency, SUNA, reported that Al-Burhan arrived in the Barakat Noreen area on the western bank of the Atbara River, accompanied by several officials and soldiers.

Al-Burhan inspected the forces stationed on the border.

According to SUNA, the visit aims to support the forces deployed near borders following the attack by Ethiopian forces.

Meanwhile, press reports said both the director of intelligence and military leaders accompanied Al-Burhan on the visit.

Press reports circulated information about fierce battles erupting last Saturday.

About 27 were killed from the Sudanese side, and more than 30 were wounded, including officers.

Heavy artillery was used as battles lasted for several hours, killing many Ethiopians.

Meanwhile, the independent Sudan Tribune newspaper reported that the Sudanese-Ethiopian border has witnessed significant military build-up from both countries.

Quoting sources, it said Ethiopia continues to mobilize troops and militias backed by Eritrean forces in preparation for launching new attacks on Sudan.

This, according to the sources, aims to block the way for Sudanese farmers working on the corn and cotton harvest.

The office of the spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces confirmed the attack by Ethiopian troops and militias

SUNA reported that Sudanese forces were present in the area to protect farmers during the harvest season.

The decades-old conflict with Ethiopia is centered on vast tracts of agricultural land, located within the borders of Sudan.

The two countries held rounds of talks, most recently in Khartoum last December, to settle the dispute, but they did not make any progress.



Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s Rule

Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
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Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s Rule

Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)

Dozens of relatives of missing Syrians gathered Friday in Damascus to demand answers about the fate of their loved ones, as many Syrians have been missing for years, some disappearing after being detained by the now-toppled government of Bashar al-Assad.

The gathering comes nearly three weeks after the opposition freed dozens of people from Syrian prisons following the fall of Assad’s government. Since then, no additional detainees have been found, leaving thousands of families still in anguish over the fate of their missing relatives.

Relatives have been traveling across Syria in search of information.

“We accept nothing less than knowing all details related to what happened to them,” said Wafa Mustafa, whose father, Ali Mustafa, has been missing for over a decade.

“Who is responsible for their detention? Who tortured them? If they were killed, who killed them? Where were they buried?” Mustafa said, speaking at the gathering held at Al-Hijaz Station in Damascus.

In 2023, the United Nations established an independent body to investigate the fate of more than 130,000 people missing during the Syrian conflict.

Marah Allawi, whose son Huzaifa was detained in 2012 at the age of 18, said she saw “how they tortured young men, how they put them in cages and tortured them.”

She called on the international community to act. “I call on the whole world to know where our sons are.”