Ethiopia warns against foreign involvement in Sudan, reiterates support for democratic transition

ADDIS ABABA – The Ethiopian government has said that it is following the ongoing military takeover in Sudan hours after Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdelfattah al Burhan declared a state of emergency, dissolution of government and suspension of certain articles of the constitutional document.

During the early hours of Monday, military operatives arrested Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and some members of his government including opposition politician and deputy chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) Yasir Arman who is also an advisor to Hamdok.

“The Government of Ethiopia is closely following developments in the Sudan. This particularly emanates from the strong brotherly ties that have existed between the peoples of the two countries for centuries,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said in a statement seen by Sudans Post this afternoon.

“It will be recalled that the Ethiopian Government has played a significant role in successfully mediating the establishment of a coalition government, consisting of its civilian and military components, and to adopt the constitutional document of the transitional period,” the statement stressed.

The statement further called “on all parties for calm and de-escalation in the Sudan and to exert every effort towards a peaceful end to this crisis.”

The statement went on to reiterate support for Sudan’s transition, respect of the constitutional document of the transitional period and warned against foreign intervention in the country’s transition to peace and democracy.

“In this regard, the Government of Ethiopia fully supports the completion of Sudan’s transition to democracy and the respect for the Constitutional Document of the Transitional Period,” the statement said.

“Ethiopia reiterates the need for the respect of the sovereign aspirations of the people of the Sudan and the non-interference of external actors in the internal affairs of the Sudan,” the statement added.

It further said that the “Government of Ethiopia is confident that the people of the Sudan would ultimately find the wisdom to address these challenges in a manner that contributes towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis.”

“The Government and people of Ethiopia, as always, will continue to stand firm with the democratic aspirations of the people of the Sudan.”