Addis Abeba — Authorities in Sudan's eastern Al-Qadarif state closed the Gallabat border crossing with Ethiopia on Sunday after the Fano militia seized the nearby Ethiopian town of Metema.

Citing military sources, Sudan Tribune reported that Sudanese authorities allowed Ethiopian federal police and army personnel to cross into Sudan after they were disarmed. In return, members of the Fano militia in the area allowed Sudanese nationals stranded at the border to cross into Ethiopia.

Thousands of Sudanese nationals have already crossed into Ethiopia through Gallabat since the Sudan conflict broke out in April last year between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Metema-Gallabat border crossing between the two countries faces frequent closures due to localized tensions in the area. In July 2022, the border was reopened after a month-long closure following tensions between the two countries shortly after Sudan accused Ethiopia's forces of capturing and executing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian. The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Ethiopian Government regretted the deaths but said it was caused "as a result of a skirmish between the Sudanese army and a local militia."

The border was reopened after tensions cooled off following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meeting with the Sudanese leader Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on the sidelines IGAD heads of state and government extraordinary summit on 05 July in Nairobi, Kenya, and discussed the issue.