Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir reiterated the continued participation of Sudanese forces in the Saudi-led Arab coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen and called for further cooperation between the Saudi and Sudanese armies.
During a meeting Tuesday in Khartoum with the visiting Chief of the General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, the Sudanese president underlined his commitment to Sudan’s participation in the Yemen war.
“The security of the two Holy Mosques is a red line and Sudan is carrying out an ethical and sacred duty. The Sudan armed forces will continue to participate in the coalition according to the agreement between the two countries,” he said.
He also emphasized the need to enhance cooperation between the two armies, mainly in the fields of training, development and joint military exercises.
Sudanese General Kamal Abdul-Maarouf, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said following the meeting that the Saudi military official’s visit came during “very complex conditions, in which the Red Sea region faces great challenges.”
He stressed that the Sudanese armed forces were playing important roles through their participation in the coalition project, adding: “Saudi Arabia appreciates these roles.”
Meanwhile, Bashir’s “secret” visit to Syria on Sunday and his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad continued to raise many domestic and international reactions, as the first visit by an Arab president to Syria since March 2011.
In the first official interpretation of the visit, Bashir’s assistant, Faisal Hassan Ibrahim, said it came upon an initiative to “bring together Arab ranks in order to overcome the Syrian crisis and achieve Arab unity.”
He noted that international and regional interventions in Syria necessitated the strengthening of Arab stances and healing the wounds of the Syrian people.
