Threatening Ethiopia with war

Experts considered the statements of the Sudanese Foreign Minister, in which he threatened Ethiopia with war, reckless, lacking the appropriate sense of diplomacy and professionalism, indicating that such statements “may further exacerbate the regional and international isolation of the de facto government in Port Sudan.”

The Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Youssef, sparked a new diplomatic crisis with Ethiopia, due to his statements threatening war if an agreement wasn’t reached with Sudan and Egypt in regards to the Renaissance Dam issue.

The Sudanese Minister’s threat of war against Ethiopia comes at a time when his country is torn apart by war, while he is unable to mobilize regional and international public opinion to stop the conflict and save the lives of millions of Sudanese on the brink of famine, according to observers.

After facing a storm of criticism even from within his own camp, the Sudanese Foreign Minister tried to backtrack his statements, writing on the (X) platform praising Ethiopia and describing it as “Sudan’s sisterly neighbor, with blood, culture, and common interests linking both nations together.”

The Foreign Minister pointed out that the only viable option is dialogue in light of the established legal principles and binding agreements, stating: “The alternative to dialogue is an exacerbation of polarization and conflict that threatens stability.”

“Reckless” Statements

The journalist and political analyst Abu Obeida Barghouth described the Sudanese Foreign Minister’s statements as “Reckless statements that lack any sense of diplomacy and functioning neighborly relations in a region lying atop a powder keg.”

Barghouth told (Erem News) that the statements are a natural consequence to the state of non-State Sudan is currently experiencing, adding that “There is no government, but rather a group that has seized control of the Sudanese people and imposed itself as a de facto government. Hence, its only natural for them to issue reckless statements that lack the slightest sense of diplomacy and fail to take into account the complexities of the region.”

He stated that the Minister’s statements may spark an intrinsic crisis between Addis Ababa and Port Sudan, noting that Ethiopia has already summoned the Sudanese Ambassador and delivered a strongly worded letter to him, protesting the Minister’s irresponsible statements.

He continued that “The new Foreign Minister lacks any sense of diplomacy and professionalism,” considering that “The Sudanese people don’t need such statements to further inflame their crises. Instead, they ought to view their country’s issues with a comprehensive approach that favors the cause of the homeland and its interests, prompting everyone to unite against this particular discourse as well as others of hatred and division.”

Growing Isolation

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry summoned the Sudanese Ambassador in Addis Ababa and informed him of its dissatisfaction with the Minister’s statements, while stressing its keenness on maintaining relations with Sudan.

For his part, political analyst Ammar Al-Baqir stated that “The Sudanese Foreign Minister was supposed to begin exercising his duties by mobilizing international support to stop the war tearing the country apart, instead of antagonizing others without objective reasons, especially neighboring countries that influence and are influenced by the situation in Sudan.”

He pointed out that such statements would exacerbate the isolation of the de facto government in Port Sudan from the regional and international environment, explaining that this is a similar approach to that of former ousted president Omar Al-Bashir’s regime, according to his estimation.