Al-Fashaga conflict
Al-Fashaga conflict | |||||||
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Part of (grey) | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Sudan |
Amhara militias Alleged: Ethiopia Eritrea[1] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Walid Ahmad al-Sajjan Bahaa El-Din Youssef (POW)[5] | Unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
6,000[6] | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
97 servicemen killed[7][8] 17 captured[9][10] 1 Mil Mi-24 lost[11] |
Unknown killed 53 captured[12] | ||||||
At least 11 civilians killed (Sudanese claim)[13][14][15][16] |
The Al-Fashaga conflict was a conflict between
In 2007 Sudan and Ethiopia signed a treaty which will allow Ethiopian farmers to stay in Al-Fashaga and keep cultivate the land. After more than a decade which the treaty remain, in 2020 when the Tigray war broke, Sudan’s army took advantage of the fact that Amhara militiamen and Ethiopian military were deployed north as result, and broke the treaty by invading Al-Fashaga and expelling thousands of Amhara farmers from their home.[21][22][23]
Background
In 1902, British-ruled Sudan and the
After the Eritrean–Ethiopian War, Ethiopia and Sudan began long-dormant talks to settle the exact location of their 744 km-long (462 miles) border, with the most difficult area to agree on being the al-Fashaga region.[18]
In 2008, they reached a compromise. Ethiopia agreed to the al-Fashaga region being a part of Sudan but Amhara farmers would still be allowed to continue living there undisturbed. Tigrayan farmers in the northern regions of al-Fashaga were also allowed to stay.[18][19]
Once the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) was removed from power in 2018, Amhara Region-leaders, whose sub-national territory al-Fashaga is located in, condemned the deal as a secret bargain and said they were not properly consulted when the deal was made.[18]
Prelude
At the start of the
Sudanese troops made rapid progress in consolidating their hold on the disputed territory. On 2 December, the Sudanese Armed Forces occupied the Khor Yabis area, controlled by Ethiopia for twenty-five years, expelling Ethiopian militants without a fight. Three days later, Sudan deployed the Sixth Infantry Division to al-Fashaga to take control of Jebel Tayara, in Gallabat. Sudan also continued to penetrate deeper into al-Fashaga by the second week of December.[25]
Clashes
2020
On 15 December, Ethiopian militants, allegedly backed by the Ethiopian government, ambushed several Sudanese troops, killing an officer and three soldiers. Later that day, the Sudanese Prime Minister,
Tensions increased when Sudan started mobilising soldiers to the contested border and by New Year's day, it claimed to have recaptured all villages in the region. In response, Ethiopian military chief General
On 28 December, Sudan claimed to have captured the villages of Asmaro, Lebbaki, Pasha, Lamlam, Melkamo, Males, Ashkar, Arqa, and Umm Pasha Teddy. In total, it captured eleven settlements that Ethiopian militias had been controlling. Sudan also claimed to have captured the town of Lilli from Amhara forces and militias. Lilli is home to Amhara militia commanders, major traders and farmers. In total, over a thousand Ethiopian farmers live there.[28]
2021
On 3 January, Sudan captured 45 Amhara militiamen who had crossed into Sudan.[29]
Subsequently, Ethiopian militiamen kidnapped three Sudanese merchants from the Basanda area of El-Gadarif state on 30 January, after penetrating seven kilometres inside Sudanese territory, and set their motorcycle on fire. The Sudanese military deployed additional reinforcements after the kidnapping.[30] Armed relatives of the abductees tried to enter the Ethiopian town of Metemma but were persuaded to withdraw. The merchants were later released after payment of a ransom.[31]
On 14 February, Sudan said Ethiopian soldiers crossed into its territory. The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Sudan had been plundering and displacing Ethiopian citizens since 6 November 2020 and that the Sudanese army should evacuate the area that it had forcefully occupied. Ethiopia also accused Sudan of crossing into its territory.[32]
On 20 February, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Eritrean forces had entered into the al-Fashaga region with Ethiopian forces. Four days later, on 24 February, Eritrea denied the involvement of its forces in the tensions on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border, stating that it wished for a peaceful solution to the conflict and that the government understood Sudan's position regarding its right to extend its sovereignty.[33]
On 23 February, Ethiopia asked Sudan to withdraw its troops from the disputed border area before peace talks could begin. The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Dina Mufti, said that Ethiopia did not want to enter into conflict with Sudan again. He also said that Ethiopia wished to return to the 2008 compromise, which would allow Ethiopian troops and civilians to enter the region undisturbed. Finally, Mufti said there was a third party who pushed Sudan to enter into conflict with Ethiopia.[34] The same day, Sudan stated that it would not withdraw its troops from the border region and that the deployment of the Sudanese army on the border strip with Ethiopia was a final and irreversible decision.[35]
On 2 March, the Sudanese army continued to push into the last Ethiopian stronghold of Bereket in the disputed border region of al-Fashaga, against Ethiopian-backed forces. In the meantime, Sudan claimed Eritrean forces were helping the Ethiopians.[36]
Sudan closed the Gallabat-Metemma border crossing with Ethiopia on 3 April, two days after Ethiopian militias attacked Sudanese customs officials in the presence of the Ethiopian military.[37] Walid Ahmad al-Sajjan, commander of the Fifth Brigade of the Sudanese Armed Forces in Umm Barakit, stated on 8 April that the Sudanese military had retaken 95% of the disputed al-Fashaga region from Ethiopia.[38]
On 13 April, Sudan released 61 Ethiopian soldiers it had captured and handed them to the Ethiopian government through the Gallabat border crossing.[39]
Three children of the
Sudan's military stated on 26 September that Ethiopian forces had tried to capture the Umm Barakit area a day earlier but were forced to withdraw after being confronted.[41]
On 27 November 2021, six Sudanese soldiers were killed in an attack by Ethiopian forces on a Sudanese army post near the border between the countries, Sudanese military sources told Reuters. Sudan's army said in an earlier statement on Facebook that "groups of the Ethiopian army and militias attacked its forces in Al-Fashaga Al-sughra, which resulted in deaths... our forces valiantly repelled the attack and inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the attackers."[42]
On 15 December 2021, the Sudanese forces announced full control over the disputed region.[43]
2022
On 24 August 2022, the
Reactions
International
- Saudi Arabia offered to help reconcile the feuding parties.[24]
- British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with officials from both sides and urged them to end their fighting and seek common ground.[24]
Intergovernmental organizations
- Special European Envoy and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto met with Sudanese officials in Khartoum to help reduce tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia. He also met with Ethiopian officials later.[48]
Aftermath
Amidst the
Notes
References
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The exchange of 62 prisoners between the Sudanese armed forces and their Ethiopian counterpart at the Al Qalabat Pass - close to the line separating the two countries - has made this clear. The press release issued by Sudan after the operation on Monday gave details of the exchange: the parties, meeting in Matamah under the auspices of the international Red Cross, handed over the 62 prisoners - 53 soldiers and Ethiopians and nine Sudanese individuals
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Eight captured Sudanese soldiers were returned to Sudan by the ENDF on 17 January
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Ethiopian forces carried out an invasion and attack on Al-Fashqa, reinforced by tanks, armored vehicles, and large crowds of infantry. Immediately, the armed forces units dealt with them with their various long-range fire systems, causing them heavy losses in personnel and equipment
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