Ethiopia: ‘Sudanese accusations made at the instigation of external parties’

The Ethiopian government has rejected accusations levelled against it by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) during the joint press conference held by the SAF, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the military spokesman, describing them as baseless and asserting that they were launched “at the instigation of external parties seeking to achieve their interests”, which it described as “malicious”.

Khartoum airport and other locations in Khartoum, Omdurman, and White Nile were targeted by drone attacks on Monday. The joint conference indicated that the drones were owned by the UAE and operated from Bahir Dar airport in Ethiopia. Strategic analyst Ted Rich stays that he tracked 146 suspicious UAE flights in the past five months, many of which landed in Bahir Dar.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement seen by Radio Dabanga, said that the Ethiopian government has exercised restraint and refrained from publicising the serious violations committed by some warring parties in the Sudanese civil war against Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and national security. These violations include, among other things, the extensive use of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the conflict.

Several parties accuse the Sudanese army of using Tigrayans in the battles of El Gezira, noting that some soldiers are still present in El Gezira.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry accused the SAF of providing military and financial support to what it called mercenaries, facilitating their incursion along Ethiopia’s western border. It stated that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s activities in Sudan are well-documented, and that there is ample and credible evidence indicating that Sudan serves as a hub for several forces hostile to Ethiopia.

Tensions

Tensions have escalated between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the federal government, with signs of clashes between the two sides. The statement indicated that the recent and previous allegations made by SAF officials are being carried out at the instigation of external parties seeking to achieve their own malicious interests, in an apparent reference to Egypt, whose relations with Ethiopia are strained due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Ethiopia reiterated its call for dialogue between the parties to the conflict in Sudan, emphasising that there is no military solution to the crisis. It also stressed the need for an immediate humanitarian truce, followed by a sustainable ceasefire, and an independent, inclusive, and transparent dialogue and civilian transition process to lay the foundations for lasting peace and the return of civilian rule.