"We have fully supported Machakos, we fully support the peace process," Yemane Gebremeskel, the head of President Issaias Afeworki's cabinet, told AFP, referring to the Kenyan town where several sessions of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels have taken place.

"Peace in Sudan will serve primarily the interest of Sudan, but also Eritrea, because then we will not have problems coming up from the Sudan," he added.

On Saturday, a political advisor to Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said in a newspaper article that Eritrea was trying to undermine the peace process by amassing troops along its side of the border with Sudan.

Qutbi al-Mahdi told the Al-Ra'y al-Amm newspaper that Eritrea was inciting the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army to step up its activities along the border.

"There are no new military movements in the boundary (...) The accusation is hollow," said Yemane Gebremeskel.

They "come out daily with baseless accusations against Eritrea... could be because of their own internal problems," it said.

"Relations between Sudan and Eritrea soured last October when Khartoum accused Asmara of being behind a rebel offensive near the Sudanese town of Kassala.

A new round of Sudanese peace talks opened in Nairobi on Monday.

SPACE.WIRE