Foreign Ministry says military intervention won’t help the situation
Ethiopia does not favor external individual power interfering in Sudan’s civil war, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
It is a remark made as Ethiopia supports the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for the mediation efforts.
It is yet another positive diplomatic gesture from Ethiopia, which is working to normalize relations with Sudan after the war in northern Ethiopia strained relations between the two. Ethiopia has repeatedly expressed its displeasure with Sudan’s annexation of disputed territories in the midst of the war, which it used to push its agenda.
It was also a safe haven for Tigrayan rebels who had defected from UN peacekeeping forces and fled refugee camps to join the war.
Ethiopia, according to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), does not want to use the current situation in Sudan as an advantage to regain the territories.
Meles Alem, spokesperson of the MoFA, briefed journalists on his country’s current diplomatic position in Sudan during a weekly briefing on May 4, 2023.
Ethiopia does not want an external power to intervene in Sudan’s conflict, according to him.
Sudan’s power struggle has now lasted three weeks, with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (Gen.), the country’s army head and de-facto leader, and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces (RSF), refusing to call a halt to the fighting.
So far, 61 countries have used Ethiopian airspace to repatriate their citizens. Over 7,726 citizens have been repatriated in total, 3,517 of whom are Ethiopians.
Many fear that the involvement of an external force may aggravate Sudan’s already precarious situation.
While Gulf nations want Sudan to end the civil war through diplomatic means, countries such as Russia are accused of taking part in the conflict through the Wagner paramilitary group, which seeks to increase its influence over Sudan’s Red Sea ports and mineral resources.
“The conflict in Sudan affects Ethiopia either way, but military intervention cannot solve such an intense situation,” Meles said.
In the same vein, he stated firmly that Ethiopia has no desire to mediate between Sudan’s warring parties but is eager to create a conducive environment for mediation and reconciliation.
The Sudanese administration, led by al-Burhan, sent a delegation to Ethiopia this week.
During his visit to Ethiopia, Daffallah Alhaj (Amb.) led the Special Envoy of the President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, who met with African Union leaders and Abiy.
The Sudanese government, led by the council, is willing to resolve the conflict through peaceful means, but the rebel group must be a part of it, said Aljaj in a press briefing held at Embassy of Sudan in Addis Ababa during last Friday.
