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Sudan rebuffs Ethiopia' s claims of role in foiled GERD attack

September 05, 2021
File photo of ongoing construction at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
File photo of ongoing construction at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

KHARTOUM — Sudan on Saturday denounced the allegations of the Ethiopian army on infiltration of an armed group through the Sudanese border to attack the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In a statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Sudan's full commitment to the principles of good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

It also urged the Ethiopian government to stop its hostile attitude in dealing with Sudan.

Sudan is controlling all its territories and borders with neighboring Ethiopia, the ministry said warning that Sudan will not allow the exploitation of its lands by any side, and that it has no intention to invade or to seize the land of others.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian army had claimed on Friday that it defeated an attempt by "elements aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)" to disrupt construction work on GERD.

A statement by the Ethiopian National Defence Force — also known as the FDRE Defense Force — cited an army commander as saying that the "attackers have joined our 'historic enemies' in an attempt to stall the construction of the dam, but they have failed," but without identifying who these enemies are.

The statement quoted Col. Seif Ingi, the operations coordinator in the Metekel Zone in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, as saying that the Ethiopian army killed "50 terrorists” and wounded over 70 others as they tried to infiltrate through the Sudanese border to the area where the GERD is being built.

Inji said that "the attackers carried light and heavy weapons as well as mines" during their infiltration, but were thwarted by the Ethiopian army who are monitoring the area round the clock.

The coordinator claimed that a large part of the armed elements fled "back to the north" after their defeat and the Ethiopian army seized some of their weapons and destroyed others.

He said the TPLF attempted to attack GERD construction because they mistakenly assumed that the majority of the Ethiopian army troops had moved to the north. — Agencies


September 05, 2021
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