Ethiopia accuses Sudan of violating its borders, calls for negotiations to address the crisis

Tensions in the border region have flared since the start of the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in early November and the arrival of more than 50,000 mainly Tigrayan refugees in eastern Sudan. (File/AFP)
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Updated 12 January 2021
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Ethiopia accuses Sudan of violating its borders, calls for negotiations to address the crisis

DUBAI: Ethiopia accused Sudan on Tuesday of violating its borders and called for negotiations to address the crisis, Al Arabiya reported.
Ethiopia said it detected Sudanese movements within its borders, the report said.
Tensions in the border region have flared since the start of the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in early November and the arrival of more than 50,000 mainly Tigrayan refugees in eastern Sudan.
Disputes have been concentrated on agricultural land in Al-Fashqa, which falls within Sudan’s international boundaries but has long been settled by Ethiopian farmers.
There have been armed clashes between Sudanese and Ethiopian forces in recent weeks, with both sides accusing the other of instigating the violence. The two countries held talks this week in Khartoum over the issue.


Palestinians from West Bank arrive at Israeli checkpoints for first Friday prayers of Ramadan

Updated 49 min 13 sec ago
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Palestinians from West Bank arrive at Israeli checkpoints for first Friday prayers of Ramadan

  • Israeli authorities said they would only allow up to 10,000 Palestinian worshippers from the West Bank to attend prayers at al-Aqsa

Palestinian worshippers coming from West Bank cities arrived at Israeli checkpoints on Friday hoping to cross to attend first Friday prayers of Ramadan at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Some said they were not allowed to enter and were asked to go back.

Israeli authorities said they would only allow up to 10,000 Palestinian worshippers from the West Bank to attend prayers at al-Aqsa, as security forces stepped up deployments across the city.

Police said preparations for Ramadan had been completed, with large numbers of officers and border police to be deployed in the Old City, around holy sites and along routes used by worshippers. 

Israel's COGAT, a military agency that controls access to the West Bank and Gaza, said that entry to Jerusalem from the West Bank would be capped at 10,000 worshippers. Men aged 55 and over and women aged 50 and over will be eligible to enter, along with children up to age 12 accompanied by a first-degree relative, COGAT said. 

Al-Aqsa lies at the heart of Jerusalem's old city. It is Islam's third holiest site and known to Jews as Temple Mount.