Sudanese army bombs the disputed border with Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Sudan’s armed forces fired heavy artillery during clashes in a disputed eastern region on the border with Ethiopia, an Ethiopian official said, the latest attack in a long-running dispute over their shared border.

Sudan managed, on Tuesday, to control Jabal Qalaat al-Luban, an area close to the disputed border, following artillery shelling and an air strike, according to a Sudanese military source, who asked not to be identified, as they were not allowed to speak to the press.

Ethiopia on Monday denied Sudan’s accusations that its army had captured and executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian, and blamed the killing on a local militia. Read more

Sudanese government sources said that Sudan had submitted an official complaint to the UN Security Council about the killing.

Asfa Ashig, a senior security official in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, said the Sudanese army fired long-distance artillery fire from Monday morning until Tuesday afternoon, but no one was hurt.

Two local residents said that the Sudanese army had taken control of Jabal al-Lubban and destroyed a military base there. It was not clear whether the base belonged to the Ethiopian army or an allied militia.

A Sudanese army spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Ethiopian government spokeswoman Legisi Tolo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ethiopian military officials referred Reuters to a statement issued on Monday that described previous border clashes but did not comment on the bombing.

In a statement, the Sudanese army denied what it said were reports of movements and the taking of prisoners.

The dispute over the Fashaqa district, which lies within Sudan’s international borders but Ethiopian farmers for decades, has escalated in recent years along with a diplomatic row over Ethiopia’s construction of a hydroelectric dam.

Dawit Indishaw report and Khartoum office. Written by Hereward Holland. Editing by Lisa Schumaker

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