Sudanese Delegation in Chad to Discuss Ties, Dispute with Ethiopia

Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings from a boat after crossing the Setit river on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings from a boat after crossing the Setit river on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Sudanese Delegation in Chad to Discuss Ties, Dispute with Ethiopia

Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings from a boat after crossing the Setit river on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, carry their belongings from a boat after crossing the Setit river on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdayet village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan, November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council in Sudan Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, arrived in the Chadian capital Saturday with an accompanying delegation including Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din and Head of the General Intelligence Service Jamal Abdul Majid.

Hemedti briefed Chadian President Idriss Deby on the progress of implementing the peace agreement signed between the Sudanese transitional government and the armed movements, the FM said in press statements.

Qamar al-Din said both sides discussed the situation in the Central African Republic and Libya, as well as the border dispute between the Sudanese and Chadian tribes and mechanisms to address them.

They further discussed means of bolstering bilateral cooperation and political and security issues that would push forward both countries and people’s interests.

The official report did not mention the goals of the successive visits of high-ranking Sudanese officials to N’Djamena. However, media reports said the border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia topped the discussions.

Khartoum seeks regional support for its positions, especially since Addis Ababa will host the African Union Summit in February.

Hemedti's visit to N’Djamena came five days after a similar visit that was headed by a member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council Ibrahim Jaber and his delegation, which included Minister of Defense Lieutenant-General Yassin Ibrahim Yassin and Qamar al-Din.

Parties discussed the course of bilateral relations and means of boosting cooperation to serve both countries’ interests, according to a Sovereign Council statement.

Over the past few weeks, Hemedti visited South Sudan and Eritrea, which indicates undisclosed consultations.

The spokesperson of the Sovereign Council Mohamed Alfaki Suleiman said that Khartoum is carrying out extensive diplomatic efforts to explain the situation on its borders with Ethiopia to regional countries.

It seeks to clarify its position, which rejects war and adheres to controlling all Sudanese lands, including areas where the Sudanese army has been redeployed.

Ethiopia, however, has accused Sudan of assaulting its territory and exploiting the war it was fighting in the Tigray region.

On Friday, Suleiman told reporters that his government did not want to increase tension by issuing media statements.

Sudan did not want an escalation that would lead to a war with Ethiopia, he stressed, noting that its army was only deployed after the withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces that were stationed in its territory due to the fighting in Tigray.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Election is My Priority After Ceasefire

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Election is My Priority After Ceasefire

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has set the presidential election session for January 9, 2024, calling it a “productive” meeting and announcing that accredited ambassadors in Lebanon will be invited.

Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that his priority after the ceasefire with Israel is the presidential election, which he called a “national necessity.”

The announcement came as French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese leaders about restarting stalled political efforts due to the war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Both Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati received a call from French President Emmanuel Macron late Wednesday.

Macron discussed with Mikati the current situation in Lebanon following the ceasefire, as well as the implementation of decisions made at the recent Lebanon Support Conference in Paris.

In his call with Berri, Macron addressed the general situation, recent steps taken by Lebanon regarding the ceasefire and Israeli provocations, and preparations for the presidential election.

This renewed presidential push comes after more than two years of a vacant presidency, with Lebanese political parties still divided over a consensus candidate.