A Sudanese army general has said the country will not cede any of the disputed territories it recently recaptured from the Ethiopian militia along its eastern border.
Local reports quoting the commander of the infantry’s 2nd Division, Maj Gen Haidar al-Tiraifi, say the North African country would not give up an inch of the Sudanese territory of al-Fashaga.
The army general also announced the opening of recruitments to the armed forces.
The general was speaking as he received a support convoy from the Fallata tribe in the eastern state of al-Qadarif, Wednesday morning.
He urged “all the state’s residents to encourage their sons to join the armed forces in order to protect the [country’s] territory and dignity”.
Gen al-Tiraifi said the armed forces are engaged in major projects to develop the border strip region by constructing bridges and roads, in addition to providing basic services in the area to facilitate movement”.
The remarks by the senior military officer comes a day after Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dina Mufti ruled out talks between the two countries before Sudan withdrew its troops from the areas they retook recently.
Sudan and Ethiopia are embroiled in a bitter border row over the agricultural rich region of al-Fashaga.
In late December 2020, Sudan declared that it had taken full control of all its territory along the disputed border, previously held by Ethiopian militia.