Sudan Summons Ambassador To Ethiopia Amid Tension

Sudan summoned its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations on Sunday amid tension between the neighbors over the conflict in the Tigray region.

The move was taken in protest of statements by Ethiopian officials on Sudan's alleged refusal to help end the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia's northernmost state, said a Foreign Ministry statement.

Sudan's interest in resolving the Tigray conflict "is part of its commitment to regional peace and security," the statement added.

The Tigray region made headlines last November when forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) raided the Northern Command of Ethiopia's National Defense Forces, killing soldiers and looting military hardware. The next day, the Ethiopian government launched a sweeping law enforcement operation against the group's leaders.

On June 29, Ethiopia's government declared a unilateral cease-fire, reportedly to offer farmers in Tigray the chance to harvest their lands, and withdrew its forces. Rejecting the cease-fire, the TPLF encroached into lands in the neighboring regional states of Amhara and Afar.

The TPLF ruled Ethiopia for 27 years at the head of a four-party coalition until 2018, when it was toppled.

Last week, Samantha Power, head of the USAID, urged the TPLF to immediately withdraw its fighters from the lands it made forceful incursions into, a call echoed by the US State Department, but the group rejected the call.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara -