Sudan to return Cairo ambassador as relations improve

Sudan confirmed it will return its ambassador back to neighbouring Egypt on Monday, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said, two months after withdrawing him amid heightened tensions.

Khartoum has not explained why it recalled Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim early in January but disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb  Triangle border area and Egyptian suspicion of a Sudan-Turkey naval agreement have strained ties.

“Relations between our people and our countries are historic and maintaining them is a responsibility. Setting them on the right path is a duty,” Ghandour told Reuters on Saturday.

Last month, a committee including the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from both countries met in Cairo in an attempt to cool tensions.

Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year.

The diplomatic spat followed a recent visit to Sudan by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where an agreement was reached to develop the strategic Red Sea island of Suakin.

Ghandour denied claims circulating in Egyptian media that Suakin would be home to a Turkish military base, saying the Turks only suggested renovating two mosques and other Ottoman-era buildings.

Egyptian-Turkish relations have been fraught since the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a Turkish ally. Erdogan has been a frequent critic of Sisi following the coup.