Sudan Army Chief Says Repelled ‘Fresh Attack By Ethiopia’

Sudan says it has repelled an attempted “incursion” by Ethiopian troops into its territory.

The head of the Sudanese military, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said in a statement that the Ethiopian forces were forced to retreat from the Umm Barakit area, without giving further details.

Burhan added that this showed how the army was protecting the country after last week’s coup attempt.

Ethiopia’s military is yet to comment on the matter.  However, al-Jazeera quotes Ethiopian government sources as saying: “We deny the movement of our forces on the Sudanese border or their incursion into any area.”

Lately, tensions along the border between Sudan and Ethiopia have escalated since the outbreak of a conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region last year that sent tens of thousands of refugees into eastern Sudan.

Umm Barakit sits within the disputed al-Fashaga border region, where there has been increased tension.

For decades, Ethiopians there have been farming on fertile land claimed by Sudan.

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Relations between the two countries have also deteriorated since Ethiopia started filling a giant dam on the River Nile.

In recent months, a number of clashes have been reported in the wider al-Fashaga region.

Sudan has been stationing troops there since the end of last year, and the UN stated earlier this year that Eritrean troops, Ethiopian troops and ethnic Amhara militia where also operating in the disputed region.