Tensions are growing between Sudan and Ethiopia around the el-Fashaga triangle
For weeks there have been regular clashes between the armies of the two countries, to which is added the involvement of militiamen. At stake: the demarcation of the border to the triangle of el-Fashaga. A problem never solved between the two neighbors.
The last round of negotiations collapsed on Wednesday with failure two days of dialogue organized in Khartoum and further violence broke out the same day. The Sudanese army has assumed responsibility for the recapture of the Salam Bir and Mahaj territories. While several sources confirmed a bombardment by the Ethiopian army that had wounded at least one Sudanese shepherd.
New talks are planned in Addis Ababa this time, but the date is not known. Meanwhile, the limit voltage that has for the origin boundaries of the triangle of el-Fashaga, an area of 600 km2 very fertile and demanded by the two countries, has not become smaller. Ethiopian farmers and militiamen have settled there for decades. But when the war in Tigray broke out, the Ethiopian army had to relocate to send reinforcements. Sudanese forces then used the vacuum to regain control of part of the region.
The negotiations in Khartoum did not make it possible to move the lines. Sudan wants the demarcation established in 1903 between the British and Ethiopia to be applied. But Addis Ababa does not recognize this agreement.
Tensions peaked on December 15, when Ethiopian gunmen killed four Sudanese soldiers. Violence reportedly broke out again on 19 and 21 December. On Wednesday, the Sudanese army said it would not halt its progress in regaining its territory, making the resumption of dialogue even more urgent.
