Addis Ababa’s Ambassador to Khartoum was summoned by Sudan on Tuesday about a statement he made confirming that Ethiopia shot down a plane that had come from Sudanese airspace.
On Monday, Ambassador Yibeltal Aemero Alemu told reporters in Sudan about resumed hostilities in northern Ethiopia.
“With regards to the plane that passed through Sudanese airspace to Ethiopian airspace and was brought down by the Ethiopian army there is no doubt that the news is true,” he said.
However, when the incident occurred, the type of aircraft and the method it was downed were not detailed in the original statement or by Alemu on that day.
The claim was made as fighting between the Tigrayan rebels and government forces erupted in northern Ethiopia for the first time in five months, shattering a truce and dealing a blow to hopes for peace talks to end the 21-month conflict.
Last week Ethiopia’s airforce said it had shot down a plane carrying weapons for the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that had obtrude on the country’s airspace through Sudan.
According to a statement, Fadl Abdallah Fadl, Sudan’s Director-General of African Affairs, called the ambassador’s statements unfounded allegations and in violation of diplomatic custom, especially as the neighbouring countries seek to strengthen relations.