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.



Israel Carries Out More Airstrikes Deep inside Lebanon

File photo: This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on January 22, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. (AFP)
File photo: This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on January 22, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. (AFP)
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Israel Carries Out More Airstrikes Deep inside Lebanon

File photo: This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on January 22, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. (AFP)
File photo: This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on January 22, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. (AFP)

Israeli warplanes carried three airstrikes deep into eastern Lebanon on Friday for the second time since a ceasefire ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel a month ago, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said.
No casualties were reported in the strikes on the Bekaa Valley town of Qousaya and the target remained unclear. The Israeli military said its air force struck “infrastructure used to smuggle weapons via Syria” to Hezbollah near the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border, about 9 kilometers (5 miles) north of Qousaya. Israel accused Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 of overseeing smuggling operations from Iran through Syria, adding that it had killed the unit’s commander in early October, reported The Associated Press.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27, the Israeli army has conducted near-daily operations in southern Lebanon, including shootings, house demolitions, excavations, tank shelling and airstrikes. These actions have killed at least 27 people, wounded more than 30 and destroyed residential buildings, including a mosque.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, said it has observed “concerning actions” by Israeli forces, including the destruction of homes and road closures.
On Thursday, the Lebanese army accused Israeli troops of breaching the ceasefire by encroaching into southern Lebanon. Israeli bulldozers erected dirt barricades to block roads in Wadi Al-Hujayr.
The Lebanese army later on Thursday said that following intervention by the ceasefire supervision committee, Israeli forces withdrew, and Lebanese soldiers removed the barriers to reopen the road in the area.
The US-brokered ceasefire, which ended the 14-month war, demands that Hezbollah and Israeli forces withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, allowing Lebanese troops to gradually deploy south of the Litani River.