Sudan’s Burhan meets Egypt’s Sisi after separate Haftar talks

June 30, 2025 (CAIRO, Egypt) – Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, hours after the Egyptian leader held separate talks with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar amid rising regional tensions.

Burhan arrived from Spain, where he had cut short his participation in a United Nations conference that was scheduled to end on July 3, according to Sudanese government sources. The sources said Burhan left a U.N. conference in Seville early, cancelling a scheduled meeting with Spain’s foreign minister.

His unannounced visit came as the eastern Libyan commander, Haftar, was also in Cairo. Egyptian state media reported that Sisi and Haftar’s meeting focused on the need to remove foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.

The talks follow the seizure of the strategic border triangle between Sudan, Egypt, and Libya by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese army has accused a Salafist militia loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar of aiding the RSF in the operation. There are also reports about training camps in Libya for RSF forces.

Two sources familiar with the discussions said Sisi may seek to mediate a meeting between Burhan and Haftar to de-escalate the border tensions.

An official statement from the Egyptian presidency said Burhan and Sisi discussed strengthening bilateral ties, Sudan’s reconstruction, and economic cooperation.

Sisi affirmed Egypt’s support for Sudan’s unity and sovereignty, the statement said. Both leaders also agreed on the importance of intensifying efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people affected by the country’s ongoing conflict.