Ethiopia accuses Sudan, Egypt of backing Tigray rebels as fighting rages

Sudan army denies backing Tigray fighters, says rival paramilitary RSF receiving support from within Ethiopia.Ethiopia’s army commander has accused Sudan and Egypt of backing armed groups fighting its troops in the north of the country after heavy clashes resumed between the Tigray-peoples-liberation-front" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="176389" data-entity-type="organization">Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government.Speaking on the army’s YouTube channel on Sunday, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said it was “fighting forces that are organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Fighting erupts between Tigray’s rebel alliance and Ethiopia’s militarylist 2 of 3Fighting in northern Ethiopia spurs fears of blackout and blockadelist 3 of 3Ethiopia’s new rebel alliance faces an old problemend of listHe added that these forces would not be able to achieve any gains unless they were “backed, supported and supplied by Sudan, Egypt and other external powers”.The Sudanese military denied the allegations in a statement on Sunday, calling them “baseless”.The military, which has been fighting a civil war in Sudan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since 2023, also made a counterclaim, alleging that the RSF was receiving support from within Ethiopia’s territory, including training, supplies and military activity involving drones.Fighting between the TPLF and Ethiopia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, resumed on Wednesday, raising fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war, in which an estimated 600,000 people died.The headquarters of Tigrai TV, seen as the key outlet for the rebel authorities in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, was hit by a drone on Sunday.Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, reporting from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, said Ethiopia’s government last week said the station’s operations had been suspended indefinitely.“The federal government hasn’t commented on this drone strike, but it comes following a significant communications disruption in the Tigray region,” Webb reported.