Ethiopia Rejects SAF Allegations, Calls for Immediate Humanitarian Truce and Civilian-Led Dialogue in Sudan

On May 5, 2026, Ethiopia's government officially rejected allegations made by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) officials and reiterated its call for dialogue between the warring parties. Ethiopia's statement emphasized that there is no military solution to the Sudan crisis and stressed the need for an immediate humanitarian truce, followed by a sustained ceasefire, and an independent, inclusive civilian-led dialogue process. The statement came amid heightened tensions between Addis Ababa and Khartoum, with SAF officials having accused Ethiopia of providing support or safe haven to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Ethiopia's outright rejection of these allegations reflects the complex regional dynamics surrounding the Sudan conflict: Ethiopia borders Sudan and the Blue Nile region, is a member of IGAD, and has its own history of civil conflict that makes it sensitive to spillover effects. The call for a humanitarian truce aligns with the position of the African Union and IGAD, which have consistently advocated for an immediate pause in fighting to allow aid delivery to the 25+ million people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan. The SAF–RSF war, now in its third year, has produced one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with approximately 8.6 million internally displaced and over 1.8 million refugees having fled to neighboring countries including Ethiopia, Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. No peace talks are currently active: the Jeddah process (US-Saudi facilitated) collapsed, and the AU/IGAD track has not produced substantive negotiations. Ethiopia's statement is an attempt to position itself as a neutral good-faith mediator rather than a partisan in the conflict.