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.



UN Teams Deploy to Syrian Coast over Wildfires

An emergency responder with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, works to extinguish a wildfire in the town of Rabia, in Latakia province, Syria, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
An emergency responder with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, works to extinguish a wildfire in the town of Rabia, in Latakia province, Syria, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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UN Teams Deploy to Syrian Coast over Wildfires

An emergency responder with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, works to extinguish a wildfire in the town of Rabia, in Latakia province, Syria, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
An emergency responder with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, works to extinguish a wildfire in the town of Rabia, in Latakia province, Syria, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

United Nations teams have deployed Sunday to the Syrian coast, where firefighters are battling wildfires for a fourth day.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Adam Abdelmoula said in a statement that the fast-spreading blazes in the northwestern province of Latakia “have forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, while vast tracts of agricultural land and vital infrastructure have been destroyed.”

UN teams are “conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs,” he said, The AP news reported.

Firefighting teams from Türkiye and Jordan have joined Syrian civil defense teams, providing support from the air with helicopters. Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that emergency crews are attempting to prevent the blazes from reaching the al-Frunloq natural reserve, with its “large, interconnected forests.”

Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh called the situation “extremely tragic.”

In a statement posted on X, he said the fires had destroyed “hundreds of thousands of trees” covering an area estimated at 10,000 hectares.

“We regret and mourn every tree that burned, which was a source of fresh air for us,” al-Saleh said.

The Syrian Civil Defense had expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance left over from the country’s nearly 14-year civil war in some of the wildfire areas.

Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.

Below-average rainfalls over the winter have also left Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.