The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) urges Ethiopia and Sudan to refrain from further actions that will lead the two neighboring countries to full scale war.
The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, expresses his deep concern on the recent border escalation between Ethiopia and Sudan.
The head of the regional bloc Dr Workneh calls on the two sisterly countries to exercise utmost restraint and avoid actions that can further heighten tensions and to actively seek diplomatic means to find a lasting and sustainable solution on the matter.
It is recalled that over the past few days the soldiers of the two countries have been fighting around the disputed border areas. Sudan claimed that the Ethiopian tropes have killed its seven soldiers, which the later denied. Since then, unofficial reports from the area indicate that fighting is going on in the area and Sudanese troops have occupied areas within Ethiopia.
In a related development, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, is following with deep concern the escalating military tension between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Sudan and deeply regrets the loss of life at their common border.
The Chairperson appeals for complete refrain from any military action whatever it’s origin and calls for dialogue between the two brotherly countries to solve any dispute. The Chairperson notes that the recent border skirmishes should not scuttle the diplomatic solutions being sought to resolve ongoing internal challenges in the two Member States.
“In this regard, the Chairperson urges the parties to continue to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the border dispute under the auspices of the AU Border Program,” AU said in its press sattement released today.
“The Chairperson expresses the conviction that the long-standing brotherly relations between Ethiopia and Sudan, and their enviable status as founding Member States of the OAU/AU, will mutually inspire both parties to immediately end all hostilities in the prevailing interest of regional stability and collective security.”