The Sudanese government on Tuesday announced that six civilians were killed in an attack by Ethiopian militias near Sudans border with Ethiopia. Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, Al-Quraisha locality in eastern Sudan was attacked by the Ethiopian Shifta gangs, which left five innocent women and a child killed, while other two women went missing, all of whom were Sudanese who were busy with harvesting activities, said Sudans Foreign Ministry in a statement. The ministry condemned the targeting of defenceless civilians, urging the international community and regional organizations to condemn such criminal acts and calling for stopping them immediately. Since Sept. 2020, the Sudan-Ethiopia border has been witnessing rising tensions and skirmishes between the two sides. Sudan accuses Ethiopian farmers, backed by its forces, of seizing Sudanese lands along the border and cultivating them since 1995. On Dec. 16, 2020, the Sudanese army announced that Ethiopian forces and militias ambushed its army on the Sudanese side of the border. On Dec. 19, 2020, the Sudanese army announced the deployment of strong reinforcements to Gadaref State on the eastern border with Ethiopia in preparation for liberating the seized lands. The border area of Fashaga between Sudan and Ethiopia, one of the five localities of Sudans Gadaref State, often witnesses deadly attacks by Ethiopian militias during the preparation for agricultural season.
