The chairman of the African Union made a statement on Wednesday and urged both Ethiopia and Sudan to cease armed hostilities in the region and hold talks for peace.
The African Union has requested a calm along the Ethiopia-Sudan border as it is deeply concerned by “the escalating military tension” between both the countries after seven Sudanese troops and a civilian were killed in the border dispute.
The incident occurred in the disputed area of al-Fashaqa, which is known to Ethiopians as Alfashga.
The soldiers were held captive in a location within Sudan on June 22. According to the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, the eight victims were transferred to Ethiopia. A separate statement from Sudan’s military described the killings as a “cowardly act” and said Khartoum would retaliate.
Ethiopian authorities have denied any involvement of its government troops in the killings. An Ethiopian military spokesperson blamed Sudanese forces for illegally entering Ethiopia and clashing with a local militia.
“Independent investigations into the matter can be launched with the participation of the two sides,” Getinent Adane said.
Residents of the Ethiopian town of Tach Armacho, which is close to the Sudanese border, told The Associated Press over the phone that heavy artillery bombardment from Sudan hit their region up until Tuesday afternoon.
In recent years, ties between the neighboring nations have worsened due to a prolonged border dispute involving significant areas of agricultural land in the al-Fashaqa region. According to an agreement that defined the line between respective regions in the early 1900s, Sudan believes the lands are within its borders.
Sporadic clashes have erupted over the past two years in that area, Sudan claimed most of its territory and called on Ethiopia to withdraw troops from at least two locations it says are under the proclaimed territory of Sudan.
Sudan said six of Sudan’s troops were reportedly killed in an attack by the Ethiopian military and militia forces in the region in November. The two countries have attempted to resolve their dispute over al-Fashaqa through negotiations, most recently in Khartoum in December 2020, but no progress has been made.
In turn, Ethiopia alleged that Sudan took advantage of the deadly conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region to enter its territory. It has called for Sudanese troops to return to the original positions they had before fighting erupted in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, pitting Ethiopia’s federal forces against regional fighters.
