Sudan thwarts Ethiopian incursion amid protests in east

Sudan’s military says it has repelled an attempted incursion by Ethiopian forces in the border area between the two countries.

The Ethiopian forces were forced to retreat from the Umm Barakit area, a military statement said on Sunday, without giving further details.

The head of Sudan’s military, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, told reporters the incident took place on Saturday. He said it showed how the military was protecting the country in the wake of a coup attempt in Khartoum last week.

Colonel Getnet Adane, Ethiopia’s military spokesman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tensions along the border between Sudan and Ethiopia have escalated since the outbreak of a conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region last year that sent tens of thousands of refugees into eastern Sudan.

The tensions have focused on an area of fertile farmland known as al-Fashqa, where the border is disputed.

Meanwhile, protesters in eastern Sudan shut a pipeline that carries imported crude oil to the capital Khartoum.

Protesters from the Beja tribes in eastern Sudan have been shutting ports and blocking roads in protest against what they describe as poor political and economic conditions in the region.