Egypt's el-Sissi visits Sudan amid rapprochement

Egypt's president visited Sudan on Saturday, his first visit to the country since a popular uprising led to the military's overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi landed at Khartoum international airport and headed to a meeting with Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, at the presidential palace.

There, they inspected a military guard of honour.

El-Sissi also met with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagal, deputy head of the sovereign council.

This visit "strengthens the ties between the two countries and will help our transitional period," Burhan told a news conference with el-Sissi. "We discussed all the files that support mutual cooperation."

The Egyptian leader discussed with Sudanese officials an array of issues, including economic and military ties and the two nations' dispute with Ethiopia over a massive dam it is building on the Blue Nile, Egypt's presidency said.

El-Sissi also discussed Sudan's border dispute with Ethiopia and security in the Red Sea region, which has become a theatre of growing competition among world and regional powers in recent years, the statement said.

Both Sudan and Egypt are members of a newly established Red Sea forum, along with six other African and Asian nations.

The visit came amid a rapprochement between the two governments.

Egypt has in recent years sought to rebuild ties with its southern neighbour, an effort that has intensified since al-Bashir's ouster in April 2019.

Top civilian and military officials from both nations have exchanged regular visits.