Sudanese army retake border area with Ethiopia

A number of Sudanese took to the streets to celebrate after their army took control of an area in the al-Fashqa border region with Ethiopia that was initially occupied by the militia and Ethiopian farmers.

Speaking to journalists, the army’s deputy chief of staff, Lieutenant General Khaled Abdin al-Shami, said their intention was to restore Sudan’s sovereignty which is part of their territory.

Sudan is accussing the Ethiopian regime of supporting the militia in taking control of the region. Addis Ababa denied such allegations.

Sudanese authorities alleged the Ethiopian militia group had seized vast land from farmers in al-Fashqa thus leading to their forceful eviction.

Sudan had announced on December 19 that it will dispatch a large number of military reinforcements to the border with Ethiopia to "regain its usurped lands from an Ethiopian militia

Ethiopian farmers have for years planted crops in Sudan’s al-Fashqa border area but the government of former President Omar al-Bashir had tolerated the incursions.

Sudanese transitional authorities, who took over after the military’s ouster of al-Bashir last year amid months long protests, have recently engaged in talks with Ethiopia to withdraw Ethiopian farmers behind Sudanese borders.