Abiy Ahmed: Ethiopia not ready for war with Sudan

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed insisted that his country does not want war with Sudan, calling for tensions over al-Fashaqa to be resolved peacefully.

With the country already grappling with Ethiopia’s internal conflicts, including in the Tigray region, Abiy Ahmed said his country is not ready to go to battle.

In recent months, Sudan has sent troops into al-Fashaqa, a move deplored by Ethiopia as an “invasion”.

A string of deadly clashes followed, with both sides trading accusations of violence and territorial violations.

The border quarrel between the two countries is over Al-Fashaqa, an agricultural area sandwiched between two rivers, where Ethiopia’s northern Amhara and Tigray regions meet Sudan’s eastern Gedaref state.

The fertile farmland is claimed by both countries and has been a flashpoint for conflict, most recently as fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region sent some 60,000 refugees fleeing into Sudan.

On Tuesday, Sudan accepted a United Arab Emirates mediation proposal in an attempt to reduce tensions with Ethiopia over a border dispute and Addis Ababa’s construction of a dam on the Nile.

Ethiopia says the project is essential for its electrification and development.

Egypt, which relies on the Nile for the vast majority of its freshwater needs, sees the dam as an existential threat while Sudan fears its own dams would be harmed if no agreement is reached.