According to a statement, the Egyptian president presented his condolences over the death of the Sudanese soldiers, sending his well-wishes to their families.

Earlier on Monday, Sudan accused the Ethiopian army of executing seven soldiers and a civilian that were allegedly being held captive, vowing to take action.

Relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa have soured in recent years over the contested border region of Al-Fashaqa — a fertile strip long cultivated by Ethiopian farmers but claimed by Sudan.

The Al-Fashaqa region, which also borders Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region, has seen sporadic deadly clashes between the Sudanese and Ethiopian sides over the past years.

Tensions between the two sides especially rose after fighting erupted in the Tigray in November 2020, sending tens of thousands of refugees fleeing into Sudan.

Khartoum and Addis Ababa have since been locked in a tense war of words, trading accusations of violence and territorial violations.

The border dispute feeds into wider tensions in the region, including over Ethiopia’s controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it built on the Blue Nile, with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan demanding Ethiopia sign a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation policies of the dam that preserve their water rights.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is currently in a short Gulf tour that kicked off with a visit to Oman on Monday.