Sudan summons Ethiopian envoy amid tension over executions

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Sudan summoned the Ethiopian envoy on Monday amid Sudanese accusations for Addis Ababa of executing eight people.

The Sudanese army said seven soldiers and a civilian had been seized on Sudanese territory last week and taken to Ethiopia where they were killed.

The Foreign Ministry said it has summoned the Ethiopian ambassador to protest the killings and will recall its envoy from Addis Ababa for consultations.

“Sudan condemns in the strongest words the Ethiopian aggression and crime that are in violation of international law,” the ministry said in a statement. “Those people had been kidnapped and taken into Ethiopian territory where they were killed and mutilated,” it added.

The ministry said it will submit a complaint to the UN Security Council over the Ethiopian attack on the Sudanese territories.

“Sudan reserves the right to protect its people and territories against these Ethiopian aggressions,” the statement added.

There was no comment from Ethiopia on the Sudanese move.

Tension escalated between Sudan and Ethiopia in recent months over the al-Fashqa Triangle, a decades-long disputed border area lacking definite demarcation.

While Khartoum said on Dec. 31, 2020, that it imposed its control over the Sudanese territory where Ethiopian militias were present, Addis Ababa accuses Sudan's military of occupying Ethiopian territory, as well, a claim its northern neighbor denies.