Sudan: ‘We have proof of Ethiopia's recognition of our borders’

Sudan announced on Sunday that it possesses files, maps and documents confirming Ethiopia’s recognition of its disputed territories.

Media adviser to the head of the Sovereignty Council, Taher Abu Hajjah, said in a statement that “the 1902 agreement is in force, and affirms Sudan’s right to the border areas.”

Abu Hajjah stressed that Sudan possesses files, maps and documents proving its rights and explained how Sudan allowed Ethiopian farmers to use and benefit from its lands.

“The statement issued by the Joint Border Committee of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, brought forth false and incorrect information, in an attempt to hide some important facts,” he explained.

On Friday, the Ethiopian Joint Border Committee issued a statement in which it said that “the Ethiopian-Sudanese borders have been the subject of disputes between the two countries for more than a century, as the border demarcation agreement was first signed in 1902, but the two sides did not specify it.”

On 31 December, the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Qamar Al-Din, announced in a press conference that his country’s army had regained control of 80 per cent of the border area with Ethiopia.

For about 26 years, Ethiopian gangs have seized the lands of Sudanese farmers in Al Fashaqa area, after expelling them from the area by force.

Khartoum accuses the Ethiopian army of supporting these gangs; Addis Ababa denies the claims.

Addis Ababa: ‘Sudan’s killing of Ethiopian farmers is unacceptable’