Sudan and Ethiopia have held further discussions on their shared border aimed at easing tension between the two countries.
This came after leaders from across east Africa gathered in Djibouti for a special summit to discuss the conflict in Ethiopia where fighting continues in the northern Tigray region following an operation by the federal government to root out leaders of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Hamdok and Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, held talks on the sidelines of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summit, following clashes last week between Ethiopian troops and Sudanese forces along their border.
Sudan’s army had said its soldiers were attacked by Ethiopian forces and militia on Tuesday inside Sudanese territory, with media in Khartoum saying four soldiers were killed and 27 wounded.
The clashes raised fears that a regional conflict in Ethiopia, which has already drawn in Eritrea, could spread throughout the region.
Abiy said in a tweet that he was grateful for the understanding of IGAD leaders for Ethiopia’s law enforcement measures, the term Addis Ababa uses to describe the military operations in Tigray, as legal and legitimate.
The Djibouti summit was attended by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union bloc, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo, Djibouti’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, as well as Abiy and Hamdok.
