A Saudi-based news site reported on Monday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially informed Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, the ruling body of the country, that it withdrew from the mediation process ongoing between Sudan and Ethiopia to solve the al-Fashaga border dispute.
Speaking to a Saudi-based news channel, a source from the Sovereign Council stated that the UAE reiterated its support to Khartoum’s stance in the crisis. According to the source’s statement, Abu Dhabi respects Sudan’s position calling for determining the border with Ethiopia.
In the protracted border dispute, Khartoum claims full sovereignty over the disputed area where forces affiliated with Ethiopia are present, while Addis Ababa asserts that the Sudanese army illegally maintains control over the area which belongs to Ethiopia.
Besides, Sudan would like to determine the borders with Ethiopia depending on the agreement signed on May 15, 1902, in Addis Ababa between Ethiopia and the UK – on behalf of Sudan. Ethiopia, on the other hand, wants to negotiate to redetermine the borders, dismissing the aforementioned agreement.
The dispute between the two countries over these borders intensified when Sudan declared that its army seized complete control of al-Fashaga on December 31, 2020. Since then, armed clashes have exacerbated between the two sides.
The UAE’s mediation was launched in March when the Sudanese government accepted the Emirati initiative to reconcile Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
