ADIS ABEBA, June 28 (Reuters) – The Sudanese armed forces fired heavy artillery during clashes in a disputed eastern region bordering Ethiopia, an Ethiopian official said, the last volley of long-standing enmity over their common border.
On Tuesday, Sudan managed to capture Jabal Kala al-Laban, an area near the disputed border, after artillery shelling and air strikes, according to a Sudanese military source who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.
On Monday, Ethiopia denied Sudan’s accusation that its army had captured and executed seven Sudanese soldiers and one civilian, instead blaming local police for the killings. Read more
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Sources in the Sudanese government said Sudan had filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council about the killings.
The Sudanese army fired long-range artillery from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, but no one was injured, said Asefa Ashege, a senior security official in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Two locals said the Sudanese army had gained control of Jabal Kala al-Laban and destroyed a military base there. It was unclear whether the base belonged to the Ethiopian army or an allied militia.
A Sudanese military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Ethiopian government spokesman Legese Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Ethiopian military quoted Reuters as saying in a statement Monday describing a previous border clash, but did not comment on the reported shelling.
In a statement, the Sudanese military challenged what they said were reports of movements and the taking of prisoners.
The al-Fashqa dispute, which lies within Sudan’s international borders but has been settled by Ethiopian farmers for decades, has escalated in recent years, along with a diplomatic dispute over the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia.
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Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Khartoum Bureau; Writing by Hereward Holland; Edited by Lisa Shoemaker
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