On Tuesday, Sudan was able to capture Jabal Kala al-Laban, an area near the disputed border, following an artillery barrage and an airstrike, according to a Sudanese military source who requested anonymity because it was not allowed to speak to the press.
On Monday, Ethiopia denied Sudan’s accusation that its army had captured and executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian, instead blaming a local militia for the killings.
Sudanese government sources said Sudan had lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the killings.
The Sudanese army fired long-range artillery rounds from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, but no one was injured, said Assefa Ashege, a senior security official in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Two local residents said the Sudanese army had taken control of Jabal Kala al-Laban and destroyed a military base there. It was unclear whether the base belonged to the Ethiopian army or an allied militia.
A Sudanese military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Ethiopian government spokesman Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ethiopian military officials referred Reuters to a statement released on Monday that described an earlier border clash, but did not comment on the bombardment.
In a statement, the Sudanese army disputed what it said were reports of movements and the taking of prisoners.
The row over al-Fashqa, which lies within Sudan’s international borders but has been inhabited by Ethiopian farmers for decades, has intensified in recent years alongside a diplomatic row over the construction by the Ethiopia of a hydroelectric dam.