Ethiopia announced it was ready to help resolve the current crisis in Sudan through dialogue, denying it was taking advantage of the unrest to deploy its forces in disputed border areas.
Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Meles Alem announced that Addis Ababa is playing a pivotal role in calming the situation in Sudan and continues to stand by the Sudanese people.
The spokesman said Ethiopia is known for supporting the Sudanese people, adding that it was a permanent commitment that Addis Ababa maintains.
Sudanese media sources said Ethiopia was exploiting the unrest between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and proceeded to enter the disputed border area of al-Fashaqa.
Ethiopian forces conducted surveillance and control operations over the border, they added.
Alem denied the allegations, saying they were baseless and fake.
The spokesman said the recent developments in Sudan require a solution, stressing: "We believe that the Sudanese people have the wisdom and knowledge to face these challenges."
Ethiopia has the full desire and willingness to play its historical role and contribute to resolving the problem that Sudan faces peacefully.
According to the ambassador, the Ethiopian government and other relevant bodies were closely monitoring the situation of Ethiopian nationals in Sudan.
The spokesperson asserted that the Sudanese would solve their problems without foreign interference.
The dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia over al-Fashaga dates back to the colonial era, and several attempts to demarcate a 744-kilometer border between the two countries were unsuccessful.
In 2008, negotiations between them reached a compromise, with Ethiopia recognizing the legal border and Sudan allowing Ethiopians to continue living there without complications.
However, tensions arose in June 2022 after Sudan accused the Ethiopian army of capturing and killing seven Sudanese soldiers.
Last Friday, Ethiopia's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, denied claims that his forces had entered the Sudanese border area, expressing confidence that the "Sudanese people will not listen to such allegations," which he described as "false."
He accused some parties of "seeking to achieve political goals by publishing allegations that aim to distort the good-neighborly relations between Ethiopia and Sudan."
