Sudan recalls ambassador to Ethiopia amid rising tensions

Sudan has withdrawn its ambassador to Ethiopia following tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Ethiopia and Sudan have traded accusations that each has violated the other's territory by supporting insurgencies.

Sudan's foreign minister said the ambassador is being recalled for further consultation.

“Regarding Ethiopia, we have decided to recall our ambassador there for consultations, as is standard diplomatic procedure in such matters,” said Sudan's army-aligned Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem.

He added, “We don't want enmity with anyone, but whoever attacks us should know that we know how to respond.”

The UAE has also been dragged into the conflict.

Army spokesman Assim Awad told a press conference in Khartoum that drone attacks were being launched from Ethiopia in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates.

Ethiopia's foreign ministry dismissed the allegations as "baseless."

The UAE is seen as the primary backer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been at war with the Sudanese government since 2023, though it denies the accusations.

On Tuesday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry accused Sudan's army of supporting "mercenaries" with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, whose armed wing fought a civil war against the federal government from 2020 to 2022.

Relations between the TPLF and Addis Ababa remain tense.

"Sudan is serving as a hub for various anti-Ethiopian forces," the foreign ministry in Addis Ababa said on X, accusing Tigrayan forces of serving as mercenaries in Sudan.

"The Sudanese armed forces have also provided arms and financial support to these mercenaries, thereby facilitating their incursions along Ethiopia's western frontier," it added.

A senior official with the TPLF, Amanuel Assefa, told AFP: "We have no connections with the Sudanese authorities."

He said the government was blaming everyone "but themselves for their failures."