CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has denied the announcement by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that Egyptian armored vehicles were used by rebels in recent attacks in the Darfur region.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement posted on the ministry's Facebook page that Egypt respects Sudan's sovereignty and has never taken part in efforts to destabilize the country.

Bashir had said in a televised speech at the Sudanese Defense Ministry on Tuesday that Sudanese forces that repelled two attacks on Saturday in the Darfur region confiscated Egyptian armored vehicles.

Tension has grown between the neighboring North African countries recently, mainly fueled by a border dispute over a patch of territory on the Red Sea coast known as the Halayeb Triangle.