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News: Ethiopia Defense Ministry denies Sudanese accusation of soldiers’ execution by its members, says ready to cooperate with investigations

Addis Abeba – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense denied as “baseless” the accusation by Sudanese army that its army executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian captured during recent skirmishes.

On Sunday June 26, Sudanese army accused Ethiopian army of “executing” seven of its members and a civilians and “displaying the bodies” to the public. Sudanese army said this was “in a manner that contradicts all the laws and of war and international humanitarian law, the Ethiopian army executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen who were prisoners of war and then presented them to their fellow citizens with all meanness”.

However, Colonel Getnet Adane, Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) Public Relations Director, said ENDF members were not present at the scene and the Sudanese army that entered the Ethiopian territory clashed with local militias. He added that the army is ready to work with a committee comprising representatives of the two countries’ armed forces to investigate the attack.

Colonel Getnet told state run daily, ENA, that during the onset of the war in Tigray, the Sudanese army invaded the Ethiopian territory in a manner that did not match the historical friendship between Ethiopia and the Sudanese people. He also mentioned that Sudanese defense force was harassing Ethiopia whenever it was facing internal problems at various times.

Furthermore, Colonel Getnet accused Sudanese forces of recently infiltrating Ethiopian territory and attacking Ethiopian militias in the area, resulting in injuries on both sides.

The army operates within strict chain of command and will not engage in banditry even if there is no military chain of command from the government.

Colonel Getnet

“While this is the reality”, he said the Sudanese army’s accusation that the Ethiopian army had killed captives while it was not it the area was unfounded and baseless. Colonel Getnet added that even if the army was there and had captured prisoners of war, respect and compliance to the law are the hallmarks of the army.

He noted that the Ethiopian military’s discipline had been demonstrated during the Korean and Congolese campaigns, and that its discipline in the deployment of its members in Abyei region between two Sudanese states had been praised. The army operates within strict chain of command and will not engage in banditry even if there is no military chain of command from the government.

On Monday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Ethiopian Government regretted “the loss of life as a result of a skirmish between the Sudanese army and a local militia” and vowed “an investigation would be carried out soon.” The Ministry also “categorically” the Sudanese defense forces’ “misrepresentation of these facts…that unjustly put the blame on Ethiopia while it was the Sudanese army unit that has crossed into the Ethiopian border provoking the incident.” AS

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