Ethiopia. The second Ethiopian invasion attempt in Sudan failed meantime TPLF launches offensives in Tigray.
On Epiphany eve units of the Ethiopian army invaded Sudan in an attempt to militarily resolve the delicate dispute over Al-Fashqa border territories. The invasion was rejected by Sudanese army special troops. Khartoum Government decided not to declare war, simply defending its territories. Diplomatic meetings to resolve the dispute peacefully have resumed between the two countries but Addis Ababa government is once again regrouping army divisions on the borders. The Sudanese Army General Staff is preparing for another Ethiopian invasion attempt, confident of being able to repel it. The two armies are equivalent. Meanwhile, the conflict in Tigray continues despite the news of Addis having decimated the Tigrinya leadership of the TPLF. Press release not picked up by major international media due to lack of evidence.
On Epiphany eve, units of the Ethiopian federal army crossed Sudan border in the Sariba Grand Fashaga area, adjacent to the Ethiopian region of Tigray. The news was given by the Sudan Tribune newspaper. The attack took place at dawn. At first moment Ethiopian troops defeated the local military garrison advancing a few kilometers. The Sudanese counterattack was organized by sending selected units of paratroopers and special forces Rapid Support Forces, responsible for the genocide in Darfur, the trafficking of immigrants to Libya and the massacre of civilians in Khartoum which took place during the Sudan Revolution on June 3, 2019.
Confirmation of the clashes comes from the Sudanese army. “A Sudanese army force made up of the Paratrooper Corps and military intelligence repelled an attack by the Ethiopian federal forces equipped with heavy weapons,” read a note from Sudan Army General Staff sent to the Sudan Tribune newspaper. Some senior Sudanese officers categorically exclude that they are Ethiopian militias as the invasion force was heavily armed. The capture of an Ethiopian soldier with a Goryunov heavy machine gun is irrefutable proof according to Khartoum
A second Ethiopian invasion force was reportedly repelled after heavy fighting in the Alallaw border area. According to the Sudanese authorities, this second column of the Ethiopian army would have been supported by the fascist Amhara militiamen who indulged in looting and violence. At the moment there is no news of any declarations of war.
The presence of the fascist Amhara militias, responsible for rape, looting and massacres in Tigray, was also confirmed in the rural areas adjacent to the city of El Galabat. Supported by a second Ethiopian militia called Shifta, the Amhara attacked various villages, killing an unknown number of Sudanese farmers. The militiamen disappeared when the Sudanese special forces arrived. The incidents in El Galabat were reported by Radio Dabanga, the famous radio of the Sudanese Communist Party that played a decisive role during Sudan Revolution that ended the thirty-year dictatorship of Omar El Bashir.
The Addis government has imposed a press blackout on the failed military raid in Sudan in order to be able to give its own imaginative version. According to the War Nobel Prize Abiy Ahmed Ali, the clashes would have taken place in Ethiopian territory. Federal soldiers would overwhelm and repel the Sudanese invasion troops. Ethiopia has asked Sudan to withdraw its forces from the disputed border territory before resuming long-pending talks to determine the exact location of their 744 km border.
In her biweekly press conference on Tuesday, Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dina Mufti said Ethiopia has a firm stand to resolve the border conflict with Sudan through dialogue and believes war would not be a solution to the dispute.
Never before it has been seen a government deliberately promoting fake news through traditional media and social networks. It is not the first time that the feds have tried to invade Sudan. In mid-December, units of the Ethiopian army and the Amhara militias ambushed an infantry unit within Sudanese territory, killing 4 men, including an army officer and wounding 12 others. The ambush was followed. from a battle near Jebel Abu Teyyour and minor clashes in the areas of Al-Osra and Al-Quaraysha.
Diplomatic sources inform us that the military escalation between Sudan and Ethiopia risks turning into an open conflict linked to the dispute over the exploitation of the Nile waters and the Ethiopian mega dam Great Renaissance: GERD. Talks on the Nile resumed after the New Year and a tripartite meeting (Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan), to resolve the dangerous diatribe and avoid a regional conflict, was scheduled for Sunday 10 January. Before the Ethiopian attack, the Sudanese government had expressed reservations about attending the meeting. “Based on the outcome of the tripartite ministerial meeting held on Sunday 3 January, Sudan has requested the convening of a bilateral meeting with African Union experts and observers for the evening,” the Sudanese government said.
After the senseless military adventure in Sudanese territory, the risks of a regional conflict have increased dramatically. The situation is aggravated by the promises made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to the Amhara leadership as a reward for the war effort of the fascist militias in Tigray from 4 November to today. The southern territories of Tigray are in fact already annexed to the Amhara region and are administered directly by the Bahir Dar authorities. Unfortunately, the Ethiopian Premier has also promised Sudanese territories to the Amhara leadership which, according to him, belong to Ethiopia. The two offensives (both failed) at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 are aimed at occupying these territories to annex them to the Ethiopian region of Amhara.
The military adventure of last January 5 was also ordered to thwart a TPLF offensive from Sudan, according to local sources. Indeed, the conflict in Tigray continues and not in the best of ways for the federal government. According to both Ethiopian and Sudanese eyewitnesses, the TPLF soldiers are already using Sudan as a secure base to open a second front against the federal army. The first front is located to the north after the mountainous area of the city of Adigrad. Diplomatic sources speak of violent clashes in the northwest of Tigray in which federal troops have suffered heavy losses. They also inform that the request submitted by Premier Abiy to the dictatorial regime of Asmara to withdraw its troops from Tigray has been withdrawn as Eritrean soldiers are now needed to stop the TPLF offensive. Two major episodes confirm this information. Intense clashes between the Tigrinya army and the Eritrean army took place yesterday at the town of Endabaguna. The TPLF claims to have won the killing victory over 500 Eritrean soldiers. Asmara cannot argue for not admitting that his army is in Tigray fighting alongside the feds.
Eritrean intervention was requested by Prime Minister Abiy and promptly accepted as the bloodthirsty dictator Isaias Afwerki took the opportunity to settle old unfinished business with his “cousins” from the TPLF. He would also have received the promise to annex Tigray territories to Eritrea. The presence of Eritrean troops has always been kept secret by Asmara and Addis Ababa despite various sources (including the Pentagon) having informed of their presence. Until now, the Ethiopian government had dismissed this information as pure fantasy, accusing Western journalists of carrying the TPLF propaganda.
The surprising statement by Major General Belay Seyoum, head of the North Division of the Ethiopian army, comes like a cold shower in the middle of winter. In a video posted on social media he confirmed the presence of Eritreans in Tigray. “An unwanted foreign force entered our territory during the fighting in Tigray. The Eritrean army entered our territory alone, this needs to be clarified,” he added, without specifying when the soldiers crossed the border, where they went , or if they are still in Ethiopia.
Stunned Ethiopian Premier accused General Seyoum of ingratitude. No disciplinary measures will be taken because the removal of General Seyoum would mean a revolt within the Armed Forces. The Northern Division, made up of elite units, has in fact been recomposed with other units as the majority of the soldiers have moved to the TPLF and are fighting the feds. According to confidential information, the current TPLF offensive would be successful as many Ethiopian soldiers have no intention of killing their brothers. General Seyoum’s stance represents an unexpected turn. There is a risk that the army is getting tired of Abiy’s bloody military adventures. Some regional observers venture to predict the possibility of an army-led coup to remove the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Ethiopian Federal Army announced yesterday that it had killed 4 senior TPLF leaders. TPLF spokesperson Sekoture Getachew and Daniel Assefa, former head of the Tigray Finance Bureau, Zeray Asgedom and Abebe Asgedom. Another 9 would have been arrested. Among them Teklewoini Assefa, former CEO of the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), Solomon Kidane, former head of the Tigray Urban Development Office, Gebremedhin Tewolde, the former head of the Tigray Trade Bureau and Woldegiorgis Desta, the former chief of the Tigray Transport Office.
At the moment the news has only been published by the Turkish news agency ‘Anadolu’ and AfricaNews. The international media at the moment have choise do don’t publish Ethiopia government statement because lack of evidences. No confirmation or denial of the beheading of the management is received from the TPLF.
In a disperate attempt to avoid regional war Khartoum and Addis Ababa announced Friday 8 Janyuray preparations to hold a third round of talks of the Ethiopian-Sudan High Joint Committee on Border Issues amid reports that Ethiopia deployed forces along the border with Sudan. Sudanese Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Mohammed Sharif met Friday with Ethiopian Ambassador Yibtalal Amero in Khartoum and agreed to prepare for a third round of talks between the two countries through the joint committee, which last met in December, has failed to reach consensus.
Sudan wants its border to match the description indicated in the 1902 Agreement signed between Ethiopian and Great Britain, which was occupying Sudan at the time. However, Ethiopia accuses the Sudanese army of seizing the border area by force, and violating international law and the 1972 agreement between both countries and the Exchange of Notes that requires the status quo to be respected until the dispute is resolved amicably.
Unfortunately, the Ethiopian Prime Minister has once again issued orders to concentrate troops on the border with Sudan. “There is a possibility of clashes taking place between the two forces. The Sudanese Army is in its utmost readiness to confront any possible attack at the eastern border,” Sputnik Arabia quoted Sudanese military sources as saying. Sudan news agency said that Ethiopian intelligence cells are operating in Sudanese territories to provide the Ethiopian Army with sensitive information about the situation on the border.
The double language of the Ethiopian Premier is now clear. He officially talks about peace but behind the scenes he prepares for war. Two questions arise. Will Abiy be able to manage a conflict with Sudan at the same time as the one that has not yet been resolved in Tigray? How long will the Ethiopian army follow the imperalist adventures of this leader who is preparing to become a dictator?
