Sudan on Sunday recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations after Ethiopian officials rejected Khartoum’s appeal to mediate in the Tigray conflict, reported Reuters.
“Ethiopia will improve its position if it considered what Sudan could do … instead of completely rejecting all of its efforts,” a statement from the foreign ministry read on Sunday.
The statement mentioned that Sudan’s interest in resolving the Tigray conflict is in line with its commitment to bring regional peace and stability.
The move was the latest sign of worsening ties between the two countries. The border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia is related to large swaths of fertile agricultural land in the al-Fashaqa area.
The diplomatic tensions have escalated since last year after Sudan deployed troops at the al-Fashaqa border, which it says was occupied by Ethiopian farmers and militias for over two decades.
The Ethiopian government, on the other hand, accuses the Sudanese troops of taking advantage of the Tigray conflict to advance inside Ethiopian territory. It has called for the troops to return back to the positions they were before the Tigray fighting began in November last year.
There have held several rounds of talks to settle the dispute but the talks have failed to make any progress.
On Thursday, Billene Seyoum, the spokesperson for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said that ties with Sudan have been “a little bit tricky” and accused Khartoum of occupying Ethiopian territory.
She said Sudan was not a credible party to facilitate negotiations between the Ethiopian government and Tigray leaders.
The conflict erupted in Tigray in November after Ethiopian President Ahmed accused the Tigray ruling party, which had dominated Ethiopia”s government for nearly three decades, of attacking armed forces.
The Tigray war has killed thousands of people and forced more than 60,000 people to flee to neighboring countries.
The border tensions come at a time when Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are already at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
