The Takeaway: Sudan playing increasingly pivotal role in Middle East
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is in Riyadh for talks with the Saudi crown prince on Red Sea Security; Yazidi slave trade suggests Islamic State presence in Turkey; Erdogan’s mission impossible in dealing with the S-400; more!
Hot take: Egypt, Israel, US, Saudi Arabia all banking on Sudan
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi was in Sudan Saturday, yet another sign of Sudan’s increasingly pivotal role in the region.
This was his first visit in a while. Sisi was no friend of dictator and war criminal Omar Al-Bashir, who was deposed in April 2019 following mass demonstrations.
For Egypt, Sudan is a vital partner in the stalled talks with neighboring Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. For Sudan, security ties with Egypt are a priority, especially given that the Ethiopian civil war has spilled over into a hot border dispute.
Meanwhile, Israel is seeking a White House signing ceremony for its normalization agreement with Sudan last year.