Authorities in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray have strongly denied involvement as mercenaries in the Sudanese war that has left thousands dead, and millions displaced since last year.
They were responding to an accusation by one of Sudan’s warring parties, the RSF, which says there is “documented evidence” that forces loyal to the TPLF, party of Tigray’s ruling coalition, are currently “fighting alongside the SAF [army] and its allied militias”.
In a statement, the Interim Administration of Tigray “vehemently denies, and strongly condemns, baseless claims,” made by the RSF.
During the 2020-2022 war in northern Ethiopia, thousands of Ethiopians of Tigrayan origin crossed to Sudan to seek safety.
Hundreds of former UN peacekeepers hailing from Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray have also sought asylum in Sudan, fearing persecution if they return home.
During the war in Tigray, authorities in Addis repeatedly alleged that the Sudanese army was arming, hosting and giving training to TPLF forces, which Sudan always denied.
The RSF claim came at a time when authorities in Tigray unveiled plans to return hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans to contested territories that border Sudan which Amhara fighters captured during the war in Tigray.
Observers say a number of mercenaries from different countries are fighting alongside Sudanese warring parties.