Sissi eilt sudanesischem Präsidenten zu Hilfe

Der ägyptische Präsident erklärt seinem angeschlagenen sudanesischem Kollegen volle Unterstützung bei der Niederschlagung von Massendemonstrationen, die seit Wochen den Sudan erschüttern:

As soon as the protests broke out, Egypt rushed to declare support for Sudan in restoring security and stability in an attempt to mend its deteriorating ties with the country. Bashir has received economic support from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Egypt and Sudan have been at odds on several issues, mainly the Renaissance Dam and the Halayeb Triangle, a disputed area that includes the cities of Halayeb, Abu Ramad and Shalateen.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and General Intelligence chief Abbas Kamel headed to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Dec. 27 to discuss bilateral relations with Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed and Salah Abdullah Gosh, director of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service.

On Jan. 5, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Mohammed al-Mirghani, the Sudanese president's first assistant. During the meeting, Sisi reiterated Egypt’s full support for Sudan’s stability, saying it is critical to Egypt’s own national security. Bashir later thanked Egypt for its solidarity with his country during this critical stage.

Meanwhile, during his meeting with Sisi in Cairo, Bashir praised the Egyptian delegation's visit to Khartoum in the early days of the protests, calling it "an important message to the Sudanese people and others on Egypt's support and role in ensuring the stability of Sudan."

Ahmed Darraj, a political science professor at Egypt's Beni Suef University, told Al-Monitor that despite the clear differences between the Egyptian and Sudanese regimes on various issues and the worsening tensions between them, they take similar measures when it comes to handling their own people. They both use oppression and violence and trample on democracy, he said, and have imposed tough economic measures.