Ethiopian government communications official Musa Shehu said that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Sudan on Tuesday proves that Ethiopia stands at an equal distance from the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
“Despite Ethiopia being accused by some activists and media outlets of leaning towards the Rapid Support Forces, it has proven that it stands equidistant from both sides, and this visit confirms that,” Sheikho told the Arab World News Agency (AWP) on Wednesday.
Abiy Ahmed met with the Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at the Guest Palace in Port Sudan on Tuesday, and the discussions between the two sides focused on the need to promote and develop joint cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, according to a statement by the Sovereignty Council.
The statement quoted Abiy Ahmed as saying that this visit came to confirm Ethiopia’s support for Sudan and that it is a message of solidarity with the Sudanese people in their ordeal. The Ethiopian Prime Minister added, “This war will end, and relations between the two countries will remain solid and strong.”
The war broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April last year due to a dispute over plans to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the armed forces during a transitional period that was supposed to end with elections to move to civilian rule. The conflict began in Khartoum and quickly spread to other areas.
The Ethiopian government communications office official did not rule out that Abiy Ahmed’s meeting with Al-Burhan may have addressed other issues related to stopping the war and pressuring the conflicting parties to reach peaceful solutions, in addition to securing the Ethiopian border with Sudan before the expected announcement that Ethiopia will obtain a sea outlet on the Red Sea.
Shekho linked Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Sudan to recent regional events that revolved around the Sudanese crisis.
He said, “It is known that the (Sudanese) democratic forces held a conference in Cairo, preceding the Prime Minister’s visit, and before that, they also held an important meeting in Addis Ababa and repeated in their statement the call to stop the war and return to the Jeddah platform (ceasefire negotiations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Saudi Arabia).
“The arrival of the Prime Minister was preceded by the arrival of the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister as well (to Sudan).”
He added, “These matters and others point to Ethiopia being a pivotal country in (bringing about a breakthrough) in the Sudanese crisis and stopping the war, even if temporarily. This visit was of great importance because Ethiopia has many tools to push the two parties to achieve peace in Sudan.
At the same time, the government communications official ruled out that the visit touched on pending issues between the two countries, including the borders and the Renaissance Dam.
“This was not mentioned either in the Prime Minister’s statements or by the Sudanese government, and I personally rule out that these issues were among the topics that were discussed,” Sheikho said.
He continued, “Most likely, the talk was about stopping the war and how to achieve reconciliation and bring the viewpoints of the warring forces closer together and between the democratic forces that were visiting Addis Ababa and Cairo.”
Relations between Sudan and Ethiopia became tense two years ago, and limited military clashes took place between them across the border. Sudan also filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against Ethiopia, accusing it of killing seven Sudanese soldiers and one civilian in the Al-Fashaga border area.
Asked about the role Ethiopia intends to play after this visit in promoting peace and stability in Sudan and the Horn of Africa region, Shehu said, “Since the change that Ethiopia witnessed six years ago and the arrival of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power, the Ethiopian diplomatic approach has been characterized by active diplomacy.
“Ethiopia is also in a hurry to achieve important agendas, most notably obtaining a sea outlet,” he said, referring to Ethiopia’s agreement in January to lease a 20-kilometer coastal strip from the Republic of Somaliland in exchange for recognition of its independence.
Sheikho expected that the preliminary agreement signed with Somaliland would be announced soon, “and therefore Ethiopia wants to secure its borders and reassure itself about the country that has the longest border with it (Sudan) before announcing this agreement.
Somalia has denounced the agreement between landlocked Ethiopia and the Republic of Somaliland, calling it an attack on its sovereignty.
The government communications official pointed to other issues that Ethiopia seeks to resolve, “in light of reports of the presence of fighters from the Tigray Liberation Front (which is fighting the Ethiopian government) in the ranks of the Sudanese army… and the undisciplined movements and spread of many movements in the triangle area between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Eritrea.
He added, “With the coldness and freezing of relations with Eritrea in some situations, Ethiopia generally wants to be reassured about these matters. It is in Ethiopia’s interest and one of its strategic goals for Sudan to be safe, unified, and without war.”
