Ethiopia warns Sudan of retaliation amid border clashes

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Ethiopia's foreign ministry yesterday warned Sudan of "retaliation" after border clashes were reported in the country's northern Tigray region.

"Addis Ababa's silence against border escalation is not out of fear," the ministry's spokesperson, Dina Mufti, said in a statement, accusing the Sudanese army of "taking advantage of Ethiopia's preoccupation with the Tigray clashes while deeply penetrating into the region."

"Once again, Addis Ababa insists on staying calm," he stressed.

Mufti reiterated that his government was "open to dialogue" to resolve the border disputes with Sudan.

The Sudanese army has recently succeeded in recovering agricultural lands that Ethiopian forces and militias had seized by force of arms over the past 26 years.