International Ministry spokesman tells Al Jazeera its troops redeployed on the Sudanese aspect of the border with Ethiopia.
Sudan has denied claims by Ethiopia of occupying its territory, within the newest dispute over the contested al-Fashqa space.
Sudanese International Ministry spokesman Mansour Boulad mentioned on Wednesday the Sudanese military had redeployed its forces within the border space with Ethiopia, and didn’t transcend the Sudanese territory.
In an unique interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher on Wednesday, Boulad mentioned claims by Ethiopian International Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti of Sudan occupying Ethiopian lands “aren’t true”.
“Our selection to date is that we should take care of the state of affairs based on the mechanisms of fine neighbourliness and cooperation between the 2 international locations, but when Ethiopia does the alternative, we can have one other place based on the circumstances,” he mentioned.
The precise boundary of al-Fashqa – the place the northwest of Ethiopia’s Amhara area meets Sudan’s breadbasket Gadarif state – isn’t delineated on the bottom.
In response to the colonial-era treaties of 1902 and 1907, the worldwide boundary runs to the east.
Which means that the land belongs to Sudan – however Ethiopians had settled within the space and have been cultivating there and paying their taxes to Ethiopian authorities.
In 2008, the 2 governments settled on a compromise, which resulted in Ethiopia acknowledged the authorized boundary, however Sudan permitting the Ethiopians to proceed dwelling there undisturbed.
Ethiopia dedicated to ‘peaceable decision’
In late December, Sudanese troopers reportedly moved as much as 40km (25 miles) into Ethiopian-held territories, together with the contested fertile agricultural area of al-Fashqa.
Ethiopia says Sudan took benefit of its forces being distracted by the Tigray battle to occupy Ethiopian land and loot properties.
It then launched a diplomatic effort to get Sudanese forces out of the territories to advertise a return to the conventional mechanisms of dialogue to resolve the century-long border dispute.
“Ethiopia is dedicated to a peaceable decision of the border variations with Sudan,” Dina Mufti mentioned in a press assertion on Tuesday.
Any risk of mediation would require Sudan to tug its forces to positions previous to late December, when Ethiopia first signalled a breach of its borders, he added.
“We now have had mechanisms, technical and political committees,” he mentioned, including that the 2 international locations have to get again to these decision mechanisms via dialogue.
Requested how lengthy Ethiopia would keep a diplomatic stance whereas Sudan stays within the contested territories, Mufti mentioned: “We are going to cross that river after we come to it.”
Sudanese army leaders haven’t proven any signal of heeding Ethiopia’s name, although, and reiterate they reclaimed their very own territories.