Burhan, High-level Sudanese Delegation, to Visit Turkey at End of Month

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
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Burhan, High-level Sudanese Delegation, to Visit Turkey at End of Month

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan is scheduled to pay an official visit to Turkey at the end of the month at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Heading a high-level delegation, his talks will cover the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, as well as joint and bilateral relations.

Dubai-based Asharq television said Burhan will be accompanied by the ministers of finance, defense, agriculture, health and higher education.

“The Burhan-Erdogan talks will cover joint relations between both countries, in addition to the GERD crisis between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia,” it reported

On Sunday, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was briefed on the arrangements for the visit, his office announced.

It did not specify the date of the trip.

Hamdok reviewed agreements signed between Sudan and Turkey.

Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “Hemedti”, had visited Turkey in May. He was accompanied by a delegation that included the ministers of agriculture, energy, livestock, transport and urban development.

Hemedti had praised the historic relations with Turkey and said he was looking forward to developing them further.

Upon his return to Sudan, he declared that an understanding had been reached to update all previous agreements. He did not elaborate.

Ankara and Khartoum had developed their ties under the regime of ousted president Omar al-Bashir.

After his removal, ties grew strained due to relations between Islamists in Sudan and Turkey. Tensions were further stoked when Ankara hosted several Sudanese Islamist officials, who had fled Khartoum following the fall of the Bashir regime.

Hemedti appeared to have eased the tensions when he made his surprise visit.



At Least 69 Migrants Killed in Shipwreck off Morocco on Deadly Route to Spain

Guards on the Canary Islands during the rescue of a boat carrying 57 illegal immigrants (EPA)
Guards on the Canary Islands during the rescue of a boat carrying 57 illegal immigrants (EPA)
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At Least 69 Migrants Killed in Shipwreck off Morocco on Deadly Route to Spain

Guards on the Canary Islands during the rescue of a boat carrying 57 illegal immigrants (EPA)
Guards on the Canary Islands during the rescue of a boat carrying 57 illegal immigrants (EPA)

At least 69 people died after a boat headed from West Africa to the Canary Islands capsized off Morocco on Dec. 19, Malian authorities said, as data showed deaths of migrants attempting to reach Spain surged to an all-time high in 2024.

The makeshift boat was carrying around 80 people when it capsized. Only 11 survived, the Ministry of Malians Abroad said in a statement on Thursday, after collecting information to reconstruct the incident.

A crisis unit has been set up to monitor the situation, it added, Reuters reported. The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants trying to reach mainland Spain, has seen a surge this year, with 41,425 arrivals in January-November already exceeding last year's record 39,910.

Years of conflict in the Sahel region that includes Mali, unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities are among the reasons why people attempt the crossing.

One person died among 300 people who arrived on six boats on Friday on the island of El Hierro in the Canaries, according to the Red Cross.

The Atlantic route, which includes departure points in Senegal and Gambia, Mauritania and Morocco, is the world's deadliest, according to migrant aid group Walking Borders.

In its annual report released this week, the group said 9,757 migrants died at sea in 2024 trying to reach the Spanish archipelago from Africa's Atlantic coast. A record 10,457 people - or nearly 30 people a day - died attempting to reach Spain this year from all routes, according to the report.

The route departing from Mauritania, which has been particularly well used this year by migrants leaving the Sahel region, was the deadliest, accounting for 6,829 deaths.