Sudan recalls ambassador to Ethiopia after mediation offer rejected
]
Ethiopians fleeing from the Tigray region arrive by boat to Sudan after crossing a river between the two countries, near the Hamdayet refugee transit camp, Sudan, December 1, 2020. Picture taken December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo
KHARTOUM, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Sudan recalled its ambassador to neighbouring Ethiopia on Sunday, frustrated by the stance of Ethiopian officials whom it said were refusing Sudan’s offer to mediate in the ongoing conflict in Tigray.
“Ethiopia will improve its position if it considered what Sudan could do. ..instead of completely rejecting all of its efforts,” a statement from the foreign ministry read.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday about the conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, which has led to an influx of 53,400 refugees since late 2020. read more
Hamdok’s offer came within the framework of his presidency of IGAD, a grouping that includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Uganda and Somalia, the statement said.
Spokespeople for the Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs and the prime minister did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sudan recalling its ambassador.
On Thursday the prime minister’s spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, dismissed the possibility of Sudan mediating on the conflict in the northern region of Tigray.
She described the relationship with Khartoum as “a little bit tricky” and said trust should be the basis of any mediation but had “eroded” especially following the “Sudanese army incursion into Ethiopian territory.”
Relations have been soured by disputes over Al-Fashqa, an area of fertile land settled by Ethiopian farmers that Sudan says lies on its side of a border demarcated at the start of the 20th century, which Ethiopia rejects.
The border tensions come at a time when Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are also trying to resolve a three-way row over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, Additional reporting by Giulia Paravicini in Olbia, Italy, Writing by Nadine Awadalla, Editing by Christina Fincher
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Sudan recalls ambassador to Ethiopia amid frayed ties
]
Khartoum’s decision comes days after Addis Ababa rejected Sudan’s offer to mediate in the ongoing conflict in Tigray.
Sudan has recalled its ambassador to neighbouring Ethiopia, frustrated by the stance of Ethiopian officials whom it said were refusing Khartoum’s offer to mediate in the ongoing conflict in Tigray.
“Ethiopia will improve its position if it considered what Sudan could do … instead of completely rejecting all of its efforts,” a statement from the foreign ministry read on Sunday.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday about the conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray.
Hamdok’s offer came within the framework of his presidency of IGAD, a grouping that includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Uganda and Somalia, the statement said.
Khartoum’s move was the latest sign of deteriorating ties between the two neighbours. The tensions began after Sudan deployed troops to its border with Ethiopia late last year.
The decades-long border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia centres on large swaths of agricultural land Sudan says are within its borders in the al-Fashaqa area, according to an agreement that demarcated the borders between the two nations in the early 1900s.
The two nations have held rounds of talks, most recently in Khartoum in December, to settle the dispute, but have not made progress.
The dispute has escalated in recent months after Sudan deployed troops to al-Fashaqa. Sudan said it reclaimed most of its territory and called on Ethiopia to withdraw troops from at least two points it says are inside Sudan.
Ethiopian officials, however, accused Sudan of taking advantage of the Tigray conflict region to enter Ethiopian territory. It has called for Sudanese troops to return to their positions before the Tigray fighting erupted in November.
The border tensions come at a time when Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are also trying to resolve a three-way dispute over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said on Thursday that ties with Sudan have been “a little bit tricky” and accused Khartoum of occupying Ethiopian territory – a reference to al-Fashaqa.
She said Sudan was not a “credible party” to facilitate negotiations between Abiy’s government and Tigray leaders.
The conflict erupted in Tigray in November after a falling out between Abiy and the Tigray governing party that had dominated Ethiopia’s government for nearly 30 years. The growing war has threatened to destabilise the entire Horn of Africa.
There was no immediate comment from Ethiopia on Sunday.
In February, Sudan ordered Ambassador Gamal al-Sheikh home from Ethiopia after it accused Ethiopian troops of crossing into Sudan and warned of “grave repercussions” on the region’s security and stability. Al-Sheikh returned to Addis Ababa weeks later.
The Tigray war has killed thousands of people and pushed the area to the brink of famine. More than 60,000 people have also fled Tigray and taken refuge in Sudan.
Two arrested over plot to kill Myanmar UN ambassador
]
“Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack on a foreign official that was to take place on American soil,” US Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement on Friday.