Ethiopian forces launch cross-border shelling on Sudanese patrol
January 23, 2021 (GADAREF) – Sudanese army troops patrolling the border came under mortar
fire on Sunday from the Ethiopian federal army on the other side of the border.
Both Sudan and Ethiopia declared that they did not want to enter into a war, but Khartoum rejected Addis Ababa’s request to hold negotiations on the claimed border areas that Sudan sees an integral part of its territory.
A Sudanese reconnaissance force coming from the Sudanese Abu Teyyour Mountains was subjected to mortar shelling by Ethiopian forces stationed in the Abdel -Rafi area on the other side of the border, a military source told the Sudan Tribune on Sunday.
“Sudanese troops effectively responded to Ethiopian firing and there were no casualties on their side,” further said the military official.
He added they cannot say whether there were losses in the ranks of the attacking forces because they are based on the other side of the border territory.
Since last November, Sudan has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers across the border with Ethiopia and recovered areas that were cultivated by Ethiopian farmers.
Also, Sudanese officials rejected Ethiopian claims on areas located on the border strip saying the former regime allowed the Amhara farmers et militiamen to occupy these areas.
A local group representing all the Sudanese farmers on the border area condemned the shelling attacks on the Sudanese troops by the Ethiopian forces.
In statements to the Sudan Tribune, the head of the group Rashid Abdel Gadir described the shelling as an “intentional and planned attack”, which is a new escalation from the Ethiopian side.
“The attacks undermine peaceful coexistence and feed tensions between the two countries,” he added.