‘No agreement with Ethiopia unless it recognize 1902 border treaty’ – Sudan’s Burhan

JUBA – The leader of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdelfattah al Burhan has said that Ethiopian government must recognize the 1902 border treaty with Sudan before any negotiation.

The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says they do not recognize the border deals of 1902 and 1972 with Sudan, claiming the ownership of the fertile border area of Al-Fashaga.

The claim came after a series of clashes that started in April 2020 between the Sudanese army and the Ethiopian army backed-Fana militiamen.

In remarks at the inauguration of a military hospital in Omdurman, al-Burhan rejected the Ethiopian claims on the Al-Fashaga area saying the border between the two countries has been demarcated since 1902.

“As long as there is no recognition that this area is Sudanese land, there will be no negotiation with the Ethiopians,” he added.

Sudanese government accuses the isolated former regime of Omer al-Bashir of abandoning the area to the Ethiopian farmers and their militiamen.

During a recent visit to Al-Fasharag earlier this year, al-Burhan who spent all his carrier in the border army blamed al-Bashir for ordering the withdrawal of the army from the border to allow Ethiopian farmers to use it.

However, the Sudanese government says the two countries can discuss ways to develop joint cooperation between the two countries in the area.

Al-Burhan further said that Ethiopia has deployed additional troops inside Sudan in the border area of Baraka, during the past two weeks.

“This escalation is an act of hostility against the country,” he stressed before calling for the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops.

“Our relations with our neighbours are based on mutual respect, understanding and trust. Also, we seek to solve all our problems by peaceful and friendly means,” he said.

Ethiopian government calls for the withdrawal of Sudanese troops from the Al-Fashagha area before engaging in direct talks with the Sudanese side.