Sudan army: Ethiopian attack repelled

June 23 – 2020 EL FASHAGA The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) pushed back an attack of the Ethiopian army in the border area of El Fashaga in El Gedaref on Sunday, the Sudanese army said in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, the Ethiopian army attacked the El Anfal army base on the eastern bank of the Atbara River in El Fashaga locality on Sunday afternoon. SAF troops “caused the aggressors great casualties and repulsed them”.

Military leaders of both countries are in direct contact about the incident. They agree that both parties must show restraint and continue the dialogue.

The SAF statement affirmed the right of the Sudanese army to defend the Sudanese territory “by all legitimate means”.

On May 28, Ethiopian gunmen (called shifta in Ethiopia) killed a Sudanese army captain and wounded three people, including a woman. The Sudanese army claimed that the gunmen were supported by hundreds of soldiers of the Ethiopian army. At least 5,000 Sudanese fled the area.

A few days later the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences to “the families of the victims of both countries”. It urged Khartoum and Addis Ababa “to work together through existing military mechanisms to investigate the circumstances of the accident with the spirit of containing the situation on the ground and avoiding any additional tension”.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Ethiopian FA Ministry did not deny that Ethiopian soldiers crossed the border with Sudan and killed a Sudanese officer and wounded several people.

Last week, Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ visited the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to discuss bilateral issues, among which the building of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam at the source of the Blue Nile.

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