Sudanese Army Recovers Most Areas Occupied by Ethiopian Militias

A Sudanese government source said that the army imposed its full control over most of the Sudanese lands in the Al-Fashqah district on the eastern border of Sudan with Ethiopia.

This areas had previously been attacked by militias loyal to the Ethiopian army.

The Sudanese troops advanced deep in those areas  except for three kilometers, which is the buffer zone separating the armies of the two countries.

"Russia Today: an Arabic-spoken Russian news website, reported that the Sudanese army is carrying out sweeping operations in the territories that it has imposed its control over.

Local sources added that the Sudanese army had recovered about one million acres of reclaimed agricultural land from Ethiopian militants, confiscated crops from those lands, and transferred some of them to the headquarters of the army's main garrison within the border state of Gedaref.

It is noteworthy that tension in the border region between the two countries has escalated since the outbreak of the conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia in early November, and the arrival of more than 50,000 Ethiopian refugees to eastern Sudan, according to media.

However, the border between the two countries has always witnessed skirmishes and disputes, especially some areas cultivated by Ethiopians, while the Sudanese authorities confirm that their ownership belongs to them.

The Deputy Chief of Staff, Khaled Abdin al-Shami, said during  press statements, that "the Sudanese army took control of most of the lands that were in the hands of the Shifta gangs, from which (the army) left in 1996."

He explained that "the Sudanese Armed Forces" have completely secured these areas.

Sudanese military sources said that armed Ethiopian groups supported by the Ethiopian army launched an attack on the Sudanese army, after a few days of clashes in which elements from the Sudanese side were killed.

The sources added that the attack took place in the Abu Tayour area in Al-Fasha Al-Saghra, in the border area between the two countries, using heavy artillery.