KHARTOUM, Sudan / CAIRO

Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan received a message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday, aimed at advancing relations between the two nations.

The exchange occurred during Burhan’s meeting with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad in Port Sudan, as the Sudanese army tightens its grip on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and reclaims key cities, a council statement said.

According to the statement, Rashad delivered an oral message from Sisi addressing “bilateral relations, ways to support and develop them, and elevate joint cooperation across all fields.”

Burhan praised Egypt’s role in supporting Sudan, highlighting “the historic and fraternal ties binding the two countries and their peoples.”

He expressed “deep appreciation and gratitude to Egypt’s government and people,” emphasizing the need to strengthen Sudanese-Egyptian relations for mutual benefit.

Egyptian state media reported that Burhan and Rashad discussed ways of enhancing bilateral ties, advancing cooperation in all areas, restoring stability, and “the importance of ending the war while preserving Sudan’s safety and unity.”

Neither the council nor Egyptian sources specified the duration of Rashad’s visit.

The Sudanese army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 15 million others, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

In recent weeks, the RSF’s control has shrunk rapidly across Sudan’s states, with the army gaining ground.

Since late March, army victories in Khartoum have accelerated, including seizing the presidential palace, ministry headquarters, the airport, and key security and military sites for the first time since the war began two years ago.

Across Sudan’s 17 other states, the RSF now holds only portions of North and West Kordofan, pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and four of Darfur’s five states in the west. The army, however, controls Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, the region’s fifth state.