Ethiopia said Sunday that a recent violent incident that flared up along the border with Sudan should be addressed by diplomatic discussions as the Arab country’s military stressed the deployment of a joint force to patrol the border to prevent any violence.
The statements from Ethiopia and Sudan came after Khartoum summoned Ethiopia’s diplomat in the Sudanese capital over the cross-border attack last week that was allegedly carried out by a militia backed by the Ethiopian military.
At least one Sudanese army officer and one child were killed in an attack on Thursday by an Ethiopian militia group in Sudan’s eastern al-Qadarif province, according to Sudan’s military. Another Sudanese officer and three civilians were wounded in the incident, according to the Sudanese statement.
Ethiopia's foreign ministry issued a statement saying that “the two countries should work together through existing military mechanisms to address and jointly investigate circumstances surrounding the incident.”
It added that the two states should not descend in to hostility.
“We are of the view that such incidents are best addressed through diplomatic discussion based on the cordial and friendly relations and peaceful coexistence between the two countries,” said the Ethiopian statement.
In Sudan, Brig. Amer Mohammed al-Hassan, a spokesman for Sudan’s military, called for Ethiopian forces to stop their support to the militias and to prevent them from entering Sudanese territory. He suggested deploying a joint force to the border area.
“This could solve the issue,” he was quoted as saying.
Sudan’s foreign ministry had earlier urged Ethiopia’s government to “take necessary measures to stop these attacks."
Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, toured the border area last month after an attack. Since the visit, Khartoum has deployed more troops to its eastern border with Ethiopia to stop incursions.
