Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the head of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, agreed to cooperate on security issues, in particular fighting terrorism in order to restore Libya’s stability.
In a joint news conference with Sarraj in Khartoum, Bashir said his country had no agendas in Libya except to achieve unity and stability and restore security.
“We confirm that we do not have a special agenda that is not in the interests of the Libyan people,” he said.
Bashir stressed that his government’s support for the revolution against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 was based on the desire to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people and to consolidate security and stability in the country and the region.
“Unfortunately, things went against what we wanted, and we confirm that we have maintained our efforts to support the Libyan people and the country’s security,” he said.
He noted that some Sudanese members of rebel groups were active in Libya as mercenaries, stressing that they represented a real threat to Sudan.
“We are affected directly by the insecurity in Libya, which has made it expensive for us to fight human trafficking, illegal immigration and cross-border crimes,” Bashir said.
“Those who are committing these crimes are using the instability in Libya, and using Sudanese territories to commit their crimes,” he added.
For his part, Sarraj told reporters that he discussed with Bashir challenges facing the two countries, latest developments in Libya on the political, economic and security levels, and efforts to achieve national reconciliation and end divisions.
He added that talks have also touched on the means to secure common borders, the implementation of security agreements, the development of bilateral relations and the exchange of support in the economic fields, as well as the promotion of investment.
Sarraj arrived in the Sudanese capital on Monday on a two-day official visit, after a previous trip to the country was postponed in mid-March due to security unrest in Libya.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters at Khartoum airport that the official visit would tackle bilateral relations, Sudanese armed movements active in Libya, economic issues and coordination on regional and international levels.
