Sudan, South Sudan deny supporting Ethiopian rebels

December 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan on Sunday denied allegations its army is providing support to the Tigray’s People Liberation Front (TPLF)  in northern Ethiopia, joining South Sudan which had dismissed similar accusations on Friday.

The semi-official Fana Radio on Thursday repeated accusations that the Sudanese army shelters and trains the rebellious TPLF group in their year-old conflict against the government forces on several fronts.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Ethiopia to “stop accusing Sudan of taking aggressive stances and practices that are not supported by evidence on the ground.”

The foreign ministry further stressed that its forces fully control its borders with Ethiopia and “has never, and will never allow” to use it for attacks against the Ethiopian army.

Relations between Sudan and Ethiopia are strained due to their dispute over the Fashaga border area.

Sudanese army regularly clashes with the Ethiopian government-backed Amhara militiamen or its army.

In Juba, the South Sudanese government had reacted to similar accusations by the Ethiopian government-controlled media.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting on Friday, Michael Makuei Lueth Minister of Information dismissed allegations that South Sudan provided military logistics to the TPLF rebels.

Makuei recalled that Addis Ababa supported the South Sudanese in their struggle for independence stressing that they would never support the Tigray’s rebels to overthrow the government.

“However, if there are individuals who may be selling arms then these are the individuals who might be in possession of their own firearms. They are doing it at their own risk,” he said.

“If the Ethiopian government can get hold of those people then they should be brought to books,” he added.

(ST)