Mr Abiy said some people "were disseminating allegations to gain political mileage at a time the Ethiopian and Sudanese peoples are facing many challenges".

"We strongly condemn these allegations that are aimed at marring the cordial relations and neighbourliness between Ethiopia and Sudan," Mr Abiy said in a statement he issued in Arabic on Twitter.

The prime minister's comments follow reports that Ethiopian forces attacked Sudanese forces in the disputed, fertile al-Fashaga region on Tuesday, amid the continuing clashes between rival forces in Sudan.

Sudan and Ethiopia have been embroiled in a bitter dispute over the al-Fashaga region, with Khartoum sending troops there and seizing control of most of it in 2021.