Sisi (right) and Al-Burhan meet at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo (French - Egyptian Presidency)

The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, held discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, while the commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” visited the Libyan capital, Tripoli, a few days after a similar visit by al-Burhan.

The Sovereignty Council said - in a statement - that Al-Burhan and Al-Sisi held a discussion session at the Federal Palace in the Egyptian capital today, Thursday, during which they discussed ways to strengthen relations between the two countries and other issues.

Al-Burhan expressed his “appreciation for Egyptian support to maintain the safety, security and stability of Sudan,” according to the statement.

The head of the Sovereignty Council also presented “the government’s vision for ending the war and sustaining peace and stability,” and also reviewed the violations and crimes - which he attributed to the Rapid Support Forces - against citizens and civilian objects, according to the statement.

The statement quoted the Egyptian President as affirming his country's "steadfast and firm" position to stand by the Sudanese people to achieve their security and stability, and his keenness to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Battles have been taking place in Sudan since April 2023 between the armed forces led by Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy, Hemedti.

The clashes left thousands dead, including up to 15,000 dead in one city in the Darfur region (west of the country), according to estimates by United Nations experts. The fighting also led to the displacement of more than 10 million Sudanese, including those displaced within the country and refugees to neighboring countries.

Since the start of the war in Sudan, 460,000 people have entered Egypt, according to United Nations statistics.

For its part, the Egyptian Presidency published a video recording showing Sisi receiving Al-Burhan at Cairo Airport, while the presidential correspondent indicated that the visit “deals with political and economic dimensions.”

He added - according to the video recording - that the visit will include "talking about calm and establishing some understandings between the differences in Sudan."

Egypt was Al-Burhan's first foreign stop when he left Sudan last August for the first time since the beginning of the war, 4 months after he stayed at his command headquarters in Khartoum, which was subjected to a siege and successive attacks from the Rapid Support Forces.

Discussions in Libya

On the other hand, the commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” met - today, Thursday - in Tripoli, the head of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, and held talks with him, which he described as fruitful and constructive.

Hemedti said - in a post on the X platform - that he presented to Al-Dabaiba “his vision to stop the war, achieve peace and stability... and rebuild Sudan on new and just foundations.”

He added that he spoke about "the reasons that led to the outbreak of war, and the parties seeking to expand and continue it," stressing that the Sudanese are suffering difficult conditions due to "their deprivation of humanitarian aid, which has led to famine in some areas."

Today, I met in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with Mr. Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, Prime Minister of the National Unity Government in sisterly Libya, where I held fruitful and constructive discussions with him, which dealt with the developments that Sudan is witnessing in light of the ongoing war.


I explained to Mr. Dabaiba the reasons that led to the outbreak of war, and the parties seeking to expand it... pic.twitter.com/MxOaXyMs9I

- Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) February 29, 2024

For its part, the Libyan unity government announced that Dabaiba stressed - during his meeting with Hemedti - the necessity of ending the war in Sudan and achieving peace and stability in the region. He also stressed Libya’s continued support for the Sudanese people, especially in humanitarian aspects.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, Ahmed Khalifa, pointed out that Hemedti did not meet with the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Manfi, who met with Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. He said in a statement to reporters that Libya rejects "negative external interference" in Sudan and supports its unity and stability by supporting the outcomes of the Jeddah meeting between the Sudanese parties. .

The Libyan National Unity Government has not yet announced the details of what is said to be a “Libyan initiative” to mediate between Al-Burhan and Hemedti to end the armed conflict between them.

The government did not allow local and international media operating in Tripoli to cover the meeting between Dabaiba and Hemedti, who arrived in the Libyan capital late on Wednesday.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies