SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Al-Rakoba – Al-Fashaga Question: Facts and Questions

14/1/2021: Al-Rakoba – Al-Fashaga Question: Facts and Questions, by Faisal Abdulrahman Ali Taha

 Faisal Abdulrahman Ali Taha, who authored a book published in 1983 entitled ‘The Sudan-Ethiopia Boundary Dispute’, calls for the revival, development and updating of a Sudanese law to develop al-Fashaga issued in 1971, alongside the formation of a fact-finding committee at the highest possible level, with all relevant civil and statutory bodies represented, to find out how “[al-Fashaga] fell into foreign hands so smoothly” and “which party or parties are responsible for the loss with so much indifference”.

Taha suggests that “Ethiopian encroachment on Sudanese territory must have been entrenched within decades,” thereby “raising suspicions of collusion, negligence, and possibly corruption at the local or national levels.” In addition, Taha questions the nature of the rights in al-Fashaga, citing the absence of Sudanese police stations, border checkpoints or an indicator of Sudanese state authority in the region.