Shaky and Fragile Relations Between Ethiopia and Sudan, 1974–1991: Geopolitical Dynamics and Proxy Wars in Ethiopia's Northwestern Borderlands

Drawing on analysis of contemporary archives and periodical sources, this study examines the unstable relations between Ethiopia and the Sudan during the Därg Period (1974–1991), proxy wars, and the enduring legacy of hosting insurgents in the border areas. Sharing a long boundary, Ethiopia and Sudan have age-old and multilayered relations, but the Därg period was challenging, with contradictions between them shaping geopolitical dynamics both in the border areas and throughout Northeast Africa. During the Därg period, relations between the two countries fluctuated based on the other's strength, characterized by instability and fragility instead of strategic cooperation. Tensions and competing interests compounded by proxy wars created a complex geopolitical landscape in Ethiopia's northwestern borderlands and continued to shape their relations until the fall of the Därg in 1991. The situation in the contested Mätäma- Humära border areas was exacerbated in the late 1980s as the Därg's influence waned, when Sudan took advantage of instability in Ethiopia's border areas and redistributed disputed farmlands to its farmers, civilian authorities, and retired military personnel.