The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry confirmed today that it "would be grateful if Turkey mediates between it and Sudan to resolve the ongoing border dispute."
Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Dina Mufti, stated in an interview with Turkish agency "Anadolu" that the country "is not considering war at the moment," noting the possibility of resolving the border crisis between the two countries in the "Fashqa" border area through "diplomatic means." He added, "We would feel grateful if Turkey offered to mediate between us," as tensions have persisted along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border for some time.
Regarding Ethiopia's relations with countries in the Horn of Africa, Mufti pointed out that "Ethiopia has excellent relations with Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya, in addition to Sudan, despite the border dispute." He highlighted the continuation of relief activities in the Tigray region following the end of military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, indicating that assistance has reached 80% of the area's residents so far.
Last Saturday, Ethiopia announced its readiness to accept mediation from any country to resolve the border crisis with Sudan, provided that Khartoum met a single condition. Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Dina Mufti called on the Sudanese government to halt what he described as "the looting and displacement of Ethiopian citizens that began on November 6, while the Ethiopian government was preoccupied with enforcing law and order in the Tigray region."
In the same context, a member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Shams Al-Din Al-Kabashi, accused Ethiopia of engaging in practices resembling Israeli settlement during its encroachment on Sudanese land in the Fashqa area. Al-Kabashi emphasized that Sudanese forces would not retreat an inch from the land they have regained from the Ethiopian side.
For its part, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry condemned last Sunday the entry of Ethiopian forces into disputed border areas between the two countries, holding Ethiopia fully responsible for the consequences of this "aggression." The Sudanese Foreign Ministry stated, "Ethiopia's aggression on Sudanese territory is regrettable and unacceptable, and it could have serious implications for security and stability in the region," stressing that "Sudan holds Ethiopia fully accountable for the consequences of its aggression," calling on Ethiopia to "immediately cease its violations of its territory and to engage in dialogue to ensure the completion of border re-planning."
