Egypt Calls for Urgent Need to Address Repercussions of Sudanese Crisis

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (dpa)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (dpa)
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Egypt Calls for Urgent Need to Address Repercussions of Sudanese Crisis

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (dpa)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (dpa)

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdel Ati, called for preserving the Sudanese state and institutions, “and dealing with the humanitarian consequences of the current crisis in a serious and urgent manner.”

His comments came during a meeting on Tuesday in Cairo with the European Union Special Representative to the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber.

In a press statement, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that discussions during the meeting touched on security and political developments in the Horn of Africa region, including escalating crises and growing extremism and terrorism threats.

Abdel Ati stressed that Egypt attaches great importance to strengthening its relations with the countries of the Horn of Africa, noting that he went on his first foreign trip to Somalia and Djibouti to launch the first direct flight route between the three countries.

He also underlined Cairo’s keenness to achieve a higher degree of interconnection with the countries of the region, as it represents strategic depth for Egyptian national security.

The minister pointed to the importance of supporting the government of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in achieving stability, development and combating terrorism.

The spokesman said Abdel Ati discussed security in the Red Sea, the means to ensure freedom of international navigation, and the effects of escalating security threats on the global economy, and on Egypt in particular, as a result of the resources that were lost from the revenues of the Suez Canal.

The two sides also reviewed the outcomes of the Sudanese Political and Civil Forces Conference, as well as Cairo’s efforts to create common ground between the Sudanese parties to start a comprehensive political process.

Abdel Ati and Weber agreed on the importance of deploying concerted efforts to defuse the conflict, coordinating between all effective mediation paths, and resorting to all necessary diplomatic and political means to address the crisis as soon as possible.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.