Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum Receives Remaining Troops in Sudan

A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
TT

Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum Receives Remaining Troops in Sudan

A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)
A snapshot of the Egyptian soldiers who were said to have arrived in Cairo on an Egyptian military plane (in circulation)

The Egyptian army said on Thursday that three flights carrying its troops had arrived at a Cairo airbase from Sudan the previous day, confirming an earlier statement by the Sudanese Armed Forces on the return of the soldiers to Egypt.

In a statement, the army also said that other Egyptian troops still in Sudan had reached Egypt's embassy in Khartoum in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Earlier, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is battling the Sudanese army, said it had handed over 27 Egyptian soldiers in its custody to the Red Cross on Thursday morning.

An Egyptian army spokesperson said in a statement that all members of the Egyptian military, even the ones still at the embassy in Sudan, are safe and in good health.

The Egyptian troops had been in Sudan to take part in training exercises.

The Sudanese army had earlier in a statement blamed the Rapid Support Forces for holding 28 members of the Egyptian forces.

Late on Wednesday, the Sudanese army said 177 members of the Egyptian Air Force troops were evacuated to Egypt.

Later, the RSF said it had handed over 27 Egyptian soldiers in its custody to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday morning.

The RSF hailed in its statement the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, describing them as “all brethren and friendly countries” who contacted their leadership regarding the Egyptian troops.



Iraq, UK Agree on Trade Package Worth up to $15 Billion, Defense Deal

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (L) shake hands during their meeting in Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (L) shake hands during their meeting in Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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Iraq, UK Agree on Trade Package Worth up to $15 Billion, Defense Deal

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (L) shake hands during their meeting in Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (L) shake hands during their meeting in Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Iraq and Britain have agreed on a trade package worth up to 12.3 billion pounds ($14.98 billion) and a bilateral defense deal, the Iraqi and British prime ministers said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The deal, envisaging more than 10 times the total of bilateral trade in 2024, was announced after a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and British counterpart Keir Starmer at the latter's Downing Street offices.

It includes a 1.2-billion-pound project in which British-made power transmission systems will be used for a grid interconnection project between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as a 500-million-pound plan to upgrade the Al-Qayyarah air base in northern Iraq.

A water infrastructure project by a UK-led consortium that will help provide clean water in arid southern and western Iraq is also part of the deal, the statement said. The project would be worth up to 5.3 billion pounds in UK exports.

Sudani and Starmer also signed a defense deal that "establishes the basis for a new era in security cooperation".

Sudani said earlier that the UK-Iraqi security deal would develop bilateral military ties after last year's announcement that the US-led coalition set up to fight ISIS would end its work in Iraq in 2026.

The Iraqi premier began an official visit to the United Kingdom on Monday amid historic geopolitical shifts in the Middle East.

Iraq is trying to avoid becoming a conflict zone once again amid a period of regional upheaval that has seen Iran's allies Hamas degraded in Gaza and Hezbollah battered in Lebanon during wars with Israel, and Bashar al-Assad toppled in Syria.