Sudan, concerned that clashes in the northern region of Ethiopia may spread, has closed it’s border with Ethiopia. The government of Sudan’s Kassala state said Sudan’s border has been closed to stop fighters in Ethiopia’s Tigray region from crossing the frontier. Kassala’s governor plans to travel to the border areas to assess the security situation there.

Ethiopia’s military clashed with forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for a second day on Thursday. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the incursion after accusing the region’s government of attacking a federal army camp.

Bloomberg reports that last month, the federal parliament had instructed the Treasury to withhold funds from the Tigray administration for defying an order to postpone regional elections. Following that, Tigray’s leaders said the halting of financial support was unconstitutional and tantamount to a declaration of war.

Details on the intensity of the clashes are scarce, as the Ethiopian government shut down communications networks in Tigray State. However, according to Bloomberg News, two unnamed foreign diplomats said they had received reports of heavy fighting in three areas that have resulted in dozens of casualties. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister, Redwan Hussein said he couldn’t comment when contacted by Bloomberg on Friday.

The deputy chief of Ethiopia’s army, Berhanu Jula, said, “Our country has entered into a war it didn’t anticipate.” He added that the government does not expect the conflict to spread, but to end in Tigray.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has resisted international pressure to halt the military offensive.

Umm Muhammed Umar