Ethiopian militias raid Sudan border villages: farmers, activists

Port Sudan, Sudan: Sudanese farmers and activists said Monday that Ethiopian militias had conducted cross border raids on agricultural villages, disru...

Port Sudan, Sudan: Sudanese farmers and activists said Monday that Ethiopian militias had conducted cross-border raids on agricultural villages, disrupting the sowing season in a country already at war and suffering a dire hunger crisis.

For decades, both Ethiopia and its neighbour Sudan have claimed the fertile border region of Al-Fashaga, and in recent days several villages in the contested area have come under attack.

Farmers told AFP that militias entered villages along the border, opened fire with automatic weapons, and looted livestock and farming equipment before retreating back into Ethiopian territory.

"They attacked us yesterday (Sunday) while we were working in the fields," said a 29-year-old farmer from Wad Kouli, a village about 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the Ethiopian border.

"They surrounded the village, opened fire and stole cattle and tractors at gunpoint," the farmer told AFP by phone, requesting anonymity for fear of retaliation.