Conflict in the Contested Borderland: Land-Based Conflict Across the Ethiopia–Sudan Border in Metema Woreda Borderland, Northwestern Ethiopia.

The article investigates the causes of cross-border land-based conflict along the Ethiopia–Sudan border in Metema Woreda, focusing on internal land administration issues and the contested, unclear international boundary known as the "white line." Using qualitative methods including interviews, focus groups, and observation, the study identifies seasonal migration of Ethiopian "Mofer Zemet" (mobile) farmers seeking farmland, government land certification reforms that left many farmers landless, and the Ethiopian government's allocation of borderland farmland to Sudanese investors as key conflict drivers. Additionally, the widespread illicit trade and possession of firearms in the border area have intensified the violence associated with these disputes. The findings highlight that the conflict is rooted not only in economic competition over land but also in territorial identity and national sovereignty concerns linked to historical border ambiguities.