By Jean-Pierre A
Sudan’s Armed Forces have accused Ethiopia of carrying out recent drone attacks on its airport in the capital, Khartoum. Addis Ababa has rejected the accusations, saying they are baseless amid rising diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
A Sudanese military spokesperson said the government has evidence that four drone strikes since March 1 originated from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport. It also accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the drones.
The Sudanese military has been at war with a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, when the RSF stormed the capital. Hundreds of civilians have lost their lives, and millions have fled the country.
Sudan has long accused the UAE of supporting the RSF, and U.N. experts and rights groups have also alleged that it has provided arms to the group. The UAE has rejected the accusations.
Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Asim Awad Abdelwahab said at a Tuesday press conference that the government had analysed data from a drone that entered Sudanese airspace heading for El-Obeid in Kordofan state on March 17, and found that it had originated in the United Arab Emirates and taken off from Ethiopia.
“We do not want to initiate aggression against any country, but whoever attacks us will be met with a response,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohi al-Din Salem was quoted as saying at the joint press conference.
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release that it had exercised restraint and “refrained from publicising the grave violations of Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and national security committed by some belligerents in the Sudanese civil war.”
According to Ethiopia’s government, “these violations include, among others, the extensive use of TPLF [an Ethiopian paramilitary group] mercenaries in the conflict.”
According to AP, Sudan’s gradual airport reopening last year boosted movement of people in the war-ravaged country and allowed millions to return to the capital, Khartoum, and surrounding states.
Media reports suggest drone attacks have occurred frequently during the war, but Khartoum had been considered largely safe until a string of attacks shattered the sense of calm in the capital and central Sudan.
