Addressing members of the press in Juba over the weekend, Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs ministry spokesperson, Dina Mufti, said the country welcomes South Sudan’s appeal to mediate the dispute. “Ethiopia emphasises that the border issue, which has been there for a long time, should be handled by the different mechanisms that the two countries were engaged in. “This belligerence on the Sudanese side does not reflect the longstanding relations between the two countries, and Ethiopia is asking Sudan to respect the status quo. When there's no peace in neighbouring Ethiopia and Sudan, then we can't feel comfortable as South Sudan," he said. Sudan accuses Ethiopian famers, backed by armed forces, of seizing Sudanese border lands in Sudan's Fashaga area and cultivating them since 1995.

Source: Ethiopian News February 16, 2021 06:58 UTC