Alwaght- Sudanese army has deployed thousands of troops on the eastern border with Eritrea after Egypt, funded by United Arab Emirates, dispatched its forces to a base in Eritrea.
According to the Sudan Tribune, the Sudanese government has deployed thousands of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops to the eastern state of Kassala on the border with Eritrea.
Eyewitnesses in Kassala underscored the RSF troops on tanks and armored vehicles which had arrived in the city on Thursday morning.
The deployment of forces came as Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a state of emergency in Kasala and in North Kordofan state for six months.
Renewed Tensions between Sudan and Egypt emerged following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Khartoum in late December.
During Erdogan’s visit, Sudan agreed to hand over the Ottoman-era Suakin Island on Sudan’s Red Sea coast to Ankara.
The development drew harsh criticism from the Egyptian and Saudi-backed media outlets, with some claiming that Sudan is forming an alliance with Turkey, Iran and Qatar. Both the Sudanese and Turkish officials have rejected the claims.
The Egyptian media have been severely criticizing Sudan over its support for Ethiopia and its Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile.
Ethiopia had previously accused some Egyptians and the government in Eritrea of providing support to Ethiopian opposition groups to disrupt construction of the multi-billion-dollar power project and to destabilize the nation.
Ethiopia is finalizing construction of the dam, its first major dam on the Blue Nile, and then will eventually start filling the giant reservoir behind it to power the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa.
