Sudan: Soldiers and civilians flee Ethiopia battles

At least 30 Ethiopian soldiers and masses of civilians crossed the border towards Sudan, fleeing the ongoing battles in the Tigray region, northern Ethiopia.

The official Sudan News Agency SUNA quoted eyewitnesses as saying that “soldiers from the Amhara region bordering Tigray fled towards the Sudanese state of Gedaref on Monday evening.

The news agency reported that a Sudanese military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Ethiopian soldiers “surrendered their weapons and sought protection as the fighting raged across the border.”

The source also indicated that Sudan has sent more than 6,000 soldiers to the borders.

In the same context, the news agency revealed that masses of Ethiopian civilians crossed into Sudan, on Monday evening, towards Al-Lakdi border area, northeast of Gedaref.

Sudan’s Burhan: ‘We share interests with Ethiopia for stability of region’

The influx of Ethiopian refugees to Sudan increased with the intensification of the fighting in the Ethiopian region of Hamira.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Defence yesterday announced that the army had taken control of Hamira airport in the Tigray region.

Last Wednesday, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, ordered the army to carry out military operations in the region, in response to an alleged fatal attack launched by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front on a military base in Tigray.

Tigray played a significant role in the government and the army before Abiy Ahmed took power in 2018.

However, the locals complained of marginalisation, announced it would separate from the central ruling coalition and challenged Abiy Ahmed by holding regional elections in September, which the government described as illegal.