Tensions have arisen between the two countries for decades in the disputed region of Al-Fashqa, which is on the Sudanese side of its disputed border. On Wednesday, the situation worsened after the Sudanese accused Ethiopian military aircraft of violating Sudanese airspace.
On a visit on Wednesday to eastern Gedaref State, where Al-Fashqa is located, the President of the Sovereign Transitional Council (TSC) and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Sudan, Lieutenant-General Abdul-Fattah Al-Burhan he addressed the soldiers stationed at the border.
“We are all firm with you here until our right is proved by force, by good faith or by any other method. This is our land and we have a legitimate right to defend and protect it by all available means, ”he said.
A video posted on the TSC’s Facebook page with Burhan’s comments showed him telling them that Sudan would not back down from the military confrontation.
“How long should we be patient? Everything has a limit and this situation has already crossed its limits. This is our land and we are all willing to die here for this land, even the last man standing.”
“How long will Ethiopia continue to resolve the issue using diplomacy? Well, there is nothing that has no limit. Everything has a limit,” said Mufti.
The Ethiopian government did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. An Ethiopian military spokesman told the AFP news agency that he had “no tangible information” about Sudan’s allegations and that the situation at the border was “normal” on Wednesday.
More than 80 civilians were killed in an attack along the border on Tuesday, an Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) spokesman told CNN.
“The information we received shows that more than 80 civilians were massacred in the Metekel area in Benishangul-Gumuz in a morning attack,” said Aaron Maasho.
The EHRC, which describes itself as a “nationally independent” institution, is still collecting details and has not said who may have committed the attack.
“These types of terrible incidents have been going on for a long time. There is no option but for federal and regional authorities to increase the security presence in the area and strengthen coordination among themselves – an appeal that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has made over and over again. “added Maasho.
The Ethiopian government has been running a military campaign since November in the Tigray region, which borders Sudan. Civil society groups in Sudan told CNN that they fear that growing tensions between the two countries will only serve to further fracture the region.