The visit of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to Cairo coincided with the arrival of the Commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The simultaneous presence of both leaders in the Egyptian capital comes as part of Cairo’s efforts to mediate between the two sides and defuse the tensions that flared up in the border region between Sudan, Libya, and Egypt at the beginning of last month.
By bringing together the two disputing parties, Egypt seeks to contain a growing regional crisis that could cast a shadow over the stability of its southwestern borders. Available information indicates that al-Burhan arrived in Egypt just hours after Haftar’s landing.
Containing tensions
On Monday evening, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with al-Burhan to discuss the latest developments in Sudan and the regional and international efforts aimed at restoring security and stability there. He also held similar talks with Haftar.
Egypt is keen to maintain strong ties with both the Libyan and Sudanese military leaders. Cairo’s leadership sees an urgent necessity in containing these tensions to avoid opening a new hotspot along its southwestern frontier.
The near-coincidence of al-Burhan and Haftar’s visits to Cairo takes on special significance against the backdrop of a crisis that erupted weeks ago in the border triangle area between Sudan, Egypt, and Libya. The meeting between al-Sisi and al-Burhan marks the first declared Egyptian intervention in this border dispute. Well-informed sources did not rule out the possibility that al-Sisi may have brought al-Burhan and Haftar together in an attempt to calm tensions and seek solutions to the border triangle crisis, which has come under the control of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Last June, the Sudanese army announced it had vacated the border triangle, accusing Haftar’s forces of providing support to the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”
Regional efforts to restore peace
Cairo has reiterated its unwavering support for al-Burhan as the legitimate leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces and has expressed full readiness to assist in restoring Sudan’s unity and stability. In the background, Egypt continues to support Haftar, even as documented reports point to the involvement of units loyal to him — or backed by him — in aiding the RSF against al-Burhan, whether by facilitating arms smuggling routes or allowing RSF movements along Libya’s southern borders.
This contradiction has moved to the forefront in recent days after the RSF seized control of the sensitive border triangle between Egypt, Sudan, and Libya — a development of great concern to Cairo, which views this desert passage as a strategic contact point that cannot be compromised.
Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ambassador Mohamed El Shennawy said in a statement that the meeting between al-Sisi and al-Burhan in the city of El Alamein discussed the latest field developments in Sudan, as well as regional and international efforts to restore peace and stability there.
“The President stressed Egypt’s steadfast position in support of Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, security, and stability, affirming Egypt’s readiness to exert every possible effort in this regard,” he added.
The two sides agreed on the importance of intensifying efforts to provide support and assistance to the brotherly Sudanese people, who are enduring dire humanitarian conditions as a result of the ongoing conflict. According to El Shennawy, the talks also addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, including reconstruction efforts in Sudan and opening new horizons for joint cooperation, particularly in economic fields, reflecting the aspirations of both peoples for integration and mutual development.
National security issues
The meeting also touched on regional developments, particularly in the Nile Basin and the Horn of Africa. Both sides stressed their identical views on national security issues and their rejection of unilateral measures in the Blue Nile Basin, emphasizing the need to respect international law in a way that safeguards the shared interests of all basin countries, El Shennawy noted.
For his part, al-Burhan expressed his appreciation for the level of Sudanese-Egyptian relations, highlighting his keenness to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and bolster joint cooperation. He praised “Egypt’s supportive stances toward Sudan in international forums and its role in delivering humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people,” according to a statement from Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council.
The statement added that the meeting reviewed efforts to reconstruct Sudan, the overall internal situation, and regional issues related to water security and developments in the Horn of Africa.
Maritime boundary demarcation
In parallel, al-Sisi also discussed with Haftar — according to informed sources — the issue of delineating maritime borders between Egypt and Libya, ahead of an expected visit by a Greek delegation to Libya. This points to Cairo’s efforts to safeguard its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and balance previous agreements signed between Tripoli and Ankara, which Egypt rejects. The sources said Egypt is seeking to reach a formal understanding with Haftar on defining the exclusive economic zones between the two countries, thereby ensuring Egypt’s strategic depth in the Eastern Mediterranean and closing any legal gaps that Turkey or European parties might exploit in the future.
Egyptian researcher on Libyan affairs Mohamed Fathi El-Sherif described Haftar’s visit as “important,” especially given the intense international engagement in Libya’s political and security process. He explained that Egyptian efforts “focus on unifying the military and security institutions, as the security dilemma is the main obstacle hindering progress on the political track, at a time when preparations are underway for a meeting between the heads of the three councils: the Presidential, the House of Representatives, and the High State Council.”
El-Sherif, who heads the Arab Center for Research and Studies, stressed that “the close relationship between Haftar and Cairo helps address intertwined issues, foremost among them the maritime border demarcation file, as well as securing the southern border with Sudan.” He noted that Cairo “does not interfere in Libyan internal affairs and thus does not oppose the House of Representatives’ endorsement of the maritime border agreement with Turkey, especially amid the recent rapprochement between Cairo and Ankara.”
Security arrangements
Libyan political and strategic affairs researcher Mohamed Mtairid expects that, following the El Alamein meeting, the coming period will see increased security cooperation between Cairo and the Libyan National Army. He pointed out that rising tensions in the border triangle with Sudan and their impact on the proliferation of human and arms trafficking concern both sides, necessitating close coordination to secure the area. He added, “Cairo could also play the role of mediator between Libya and Greece to prevent the recent maritime border dispute from escalating.”
However, Mtairid emphasized that “the domestic political crisis was also on the meeting’s agenda, ahead of the anticipated announcement of the new UN plan, which is expected to sideline the legislative bodies (the House of Representatives and the High State Council). Egypt is a key partner in the Libyan political process and listens to local parties, primarily the National Army Commander, to formulate a vision it presents to the international community.”
Sudan’s reconstruction
For his part, Sudanese writer and journalist Mohamed Gamal Qandoul, head of the political section at Sudan’s Al-Karama newspaper, said that al-Burhan’s visit to Egypt at this time, and his meeting with President al-Sisi, is significant given its timing, especially since the field situation in Sudan was high on the two presidents’ agenda amid Sudan’s transition toward reconstruction and important developments in the border triangle between Egypt, Sudan, and Libya.
Qandoul stressed that any visit to Egypt is crucial for Sudan, given the two countries’ shared destiny, as the Egyptian presidency itself has often stated, considering Sudan a strategic depth, with large numbers of Sudanese residing in Egypt.
He explained that al-Sisi and al-Burhan’s meetings in El Alamein focused on several key files, particularly field developments in Sudan, the reconstruction process, regional issues, and water-related matters.
He said Egypt has emerged as one of Sudan’s most important supporters in its ordeal, consistently affirming the need for a purely Sudanese solution and for preserving Sudan’s sovereignty. Egypt has also hosted large numbers of Sudanese on its soil.
He affirmed that Cairo and Khartoum are cooperating to confront common regional challenges, given the two countries’ intertwined destinies. Qandoul noted that the discussions between al-Sisi and al-Burhan also touched on reconstruction efforts in Sudan, pointing out that Egypt is one of the leading nations with vast experience in reconstruction and will play a very significant role in rebuilding Sudan.
Securing the borders
In a related context, Egyptian strategic expert Major General Samir Farag said that al-Sisi’s meetings with al-Burhan and Haftar were fundamentally aimed at exploring ways to achieve stability and security in the two countries, “because what happens there strongly affects Egypt and its national security.”
He added, “Of course, among the key issues Egypt seeks to stabilize are the shared borders with Sudan and Libya, known as the ‘border triangle,’ since any unrest in that area in particular would quickly and directly impact Egypt and threaten its border security. Therefore, Egypt is keen to reach understandings with both the Libyan and Sudanese authorities to ensure the necessary cooperation and momentum for securing this vital region.”
