ADDIS ABABA: Regional leaders voiced alarm over escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan in a disputed border area and appealed for dialogue to stem the crisis.
The calls by the African Union and another regional grouping followed claims by Khartoum that the Ethiopian army had executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian during a clash in the volatile Al-Fashaqa area last week, allegations denied by Addis Ababa.
Sudan announced Monday it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa over the incident in Al-Fashaqa, a fertile strip of land that has long been a source of friction between the two states.
AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat “is following with deep concern the escalating military tension between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Sudan and deeply regrets the loss of life at their common border,” the pan-African body said in a statement.
“The chairperson appeals for complete refrain from any military action whatever its origin and calls for dialogue between the two brotherly countries to solve any dispute.”
The AU’s concern was echoed by another regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), which also called on the two countries “to actively seek diplomatic means to find a lasting and sustainable solution on the matter”.
Later Wednesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also called for restraint.
“We need to keep calm and show restraint...for the sake of our shared interests and good-neighbourliness,” he said in an Arabic-language statement addressed to the Sudanese and Ethiopian peoples.
Sudan on Monday accused Ethiopia of capturing the soldiers in Al-Fashaqa on June 22, announcing it was recalling its envoy and would lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council and regional organisations.
The army, which has been in power since a coup in October 2021, vowed that the “perfidious act will not pass”.
