ESAT News (January 18, 2016)
Sudanese foreign minister said on Saturday that the Ethiopian government acknowledges that the disputed territory between the two countries belong to the Sudan.
Ibrahim Ghandour told Aljazeera TV that Ethiopia acknowledged that Al-Fashaga, an area disputed by farmers on both sides is a Sudanese territory. “Ethiopia is committed and acknowledges that [Al-Fashaga] is a Sudanese territory,” he said.
He stressed that Al-Fashaga is a Sudanese territory, saying the government allowed Ethiopia farmers to cultivate its land as part of the cooperation between the two countries.
Al-Fashaga covers an area of about 250 square kilometers and it has about 600.000 acres of fertile lands. Also there are river systems flowing across the area including Atbara, Setait and Baslam rivers.
Sudan Tribune quoted the technical committee tasked with redrawing the border between Sudan and Ethiopia as saying that “it would complete its work on the ground during this year.” He pointed out that the length of the border with Ethiopia is about 725 km, saying the process of demarcation is proceeding properly, according to the newspaper.
Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn and government spokesperson, Getachew Reda have recently denied the existence of any technical committee and the transfer of any land to the Sudan.
ESAT’s sources said Ethiopia’s intelligence office, the Information Network Security Agency, INSA, has been taking areal pictures of the disputed border area for the last two months. The sources also said INSA has taken the responsibility of handing over the disputed land to Sudan.