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Cairo's backing for Sudan's embattled president comes with strings attached

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, wary of protests in Khartoum, is backing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, but to what extent?
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, January 27, 2019. in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC112CAE5470

In a March 10 televised address to a military gathering, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Egyptians against the dangers of protesting. "Protesters elsewhere are ruining their countries," he said. Sisi did not mention the countries by name, but he was clearly unnerved by ongoing mass protests in Sudan and Algeria.  

"All this talk [of protests] comes at a price that people are required to pay," he said. "How are tourism or factories or trade supposed to get off the ground? Should we eat or should we say that we are busy protesting?"

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