Sudanese Sovereign Council: We have not declared war yet, able to confront any aggression

CAIRO- 16 January 2020: The spokesman for the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Muhammad al-Fiqi Suleiman, confirmed that Al-Fashaqa region is a pure Sudanese land recognized by the international community, saying: “Fashaqa remains a Sudanese land, not a disputed land, and the world and history bear witness to that.

 

 

Suleiman said during a press conference that the Ethiopian authorities recognized the border agreement between the two countries signed in 1902, calling on Addis Ababa to show restraint and work within the framework of political solutions.

 

 

He added that the Ethiopians had been present in 17 areas inside Sudan during the past years, stressing his country's ability to respond to any "aggression" on its territory, adding: "Sudan has not issued a war decision, we demand the Ethiopian authorities to withdraw from our lands."

 

 

Suleiman said the Ethiopian forces had taken control of several Sudanese lands near the borders, explaining that Addis Ababa forces entered Sudanese territory with an area ranging between 6 and 12 kilometers.

 

 

He said that the Ethiopian side issued unbalanced political and media speeches that would escalate the crisis between the two countries, describing it as "fiery speeches," demanding an end to these speeches.

 

 

He added, "There was no decision to wage war against Ethiopia, but the decision was issued to allow the Sudanese forces to control all of its territory," called on Addis Ababa to withdraw quickly from the Khor Hammar area.

 

 

The Civil Aviation Authority in Sudan issued, Friday, an international aviation notice, according to which aircraft are prohibited from flying over Al-Fashaqa border area east of the city of Gadaref until April 11.

 

 

At the end of last year, the Sudanese Armed Forces recently sent large military reinforcements to the border with Ethiopia, days after an ambush by Ethiopian militias in which Sudanese soldiers were killed.