Umma Party leader Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi alleges that Islamist figures around army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pushed Tigrayan fighters sheltering in Sudan into battle against Ethiopia's army, in coordination with Eritrea. His claims have not been independently verified.
Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi, leader of the National Umma Party and a former deputy prime minister, has accused Islamist figures within army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's administration of drawing Sudan into the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in a statement published on Thursday 5 November and reported on 6 November by The Sudan Times and Assayha.
According to al-Fadil, between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters linked to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) entered Sudan after Ethiopia's 2020–22 war. He said that during a visit to Port Sudan in July 2024 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked Burhan to facilitate their return under the Pretoria peace arrangements, and that Burhan initially agreed to discuss it. He alleged that Burhan and the security services later told an Ethiopian delegation, which he said included the intelligence chief and Tigrayan politician Getachew Reda, that the army needed the fighters for its war against the Rapid Support Forces.
The central allegation
Al-Fadil said Tigrayan fighters had fought alongside the army in Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Blue Nile, and that assurances had been given to Addis Ababa that they would not be used against Ethiopia. He alleged that Islamist leaders in Burhan's administration then pushed the Tigrayan "13th and 17th divisions" into fighting against Ethiopian federal forces, in coordination with Eritrea. He said the 13th Division was defeated with more than 1,000 fighters captured, while the 17th suffered heavy losses and some of its units withdrew into Eritrea.
He linked the alleged move to Islamists' ties with the TPLF dating from the Bashir era, and warned that it risked Ethiopian retaliation around Al-Fashaga and Gedaref, including possible movements by Amhara Fano militias. He urged Burhan to end any support for forces fighting the Ethiopian government, to disarm Ethiopian fighters in Sudan in line with international law, and to seek AU mediation and direct talks with Abiy. He said his support for the army did not mean endorsing military control of national decisions, and called for Islamists to be removed from decision-making.
Unverified and disputed
The troop numbers, losses and alleged coordination could not be independently verified. CERHA found no response from Burhan's office or the army. Port Sudan has denied Ethiopian accusations that it backs Tigrayan rebels and in turn accuses Addis Ababa of letting the RSF launch drones from Ethiopian territory, which Ethiopia denies. The two governments closed each other's consulates in Assosa and Gedaref on 4 and 5 November.
Image: Map of the al-Fashaga Triangle on the Sudan–Ethiopia border. Wowzers122, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.