Abiy: Ethiopia Stands in solidarity with Sudan in Political Dialogue Process
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held talks with Sudanese government officials and party leaders during his one-day working visit to Khartoum today.
PM Abiy and his delegation arrived in Khartoum on Thursday morning. Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President of Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council, welcomed the Ethiopian delegation.
“I’m pleased to come back again and be amidst the wise and vibrant people of Sudan,” Abiy said in a tweet, extending his “appreciation to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the warm welcome.”
PM and Burhan also held bilateral discussions on various issues particularly the ongoing political dialogue process in Sudan.
The PM Office says Abiy shared Ethiopia’s solidarity with Sudan in the political dialogue process that they have embarked upon, citing the wisdom and ability of the Sudanese people to successfully lead the process without any intervention.
The issue was a subject of discussion between Abiy and Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Vice President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council.
Abiy encouraged the Vice President to tap into the abundant capacity of the Sudanese people in solving their own challenges, according to the PM office.
Sudan has been in political turmoil since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a “military coup.”
Last month, the military and political parties signed a framework agreement that paves a way for a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian government by the political parties signatories to the deal.
In Khartoum today, the Ethiopian leader also met with various Sudanese political parties engaged in the ongoing political process as well as members of the trilateral mechanism.
At the meeting, the PM office said Abiy affirmed that “Ethiopia’s non-interventionist principle not only applies to its own experience but to others as well.”
Prime Minister Abiy encouraged the people of Sudan and all political parties to find homegrown solutions.
“Ethiopia continues to stand in solidarity with Sudan in their current self-led political process,” the PM further stated.
Prime Minister Abiy and his delegation returned to Addis Ababa late Thursday, as per his office which described his discussions with Sudanese officials and other stakeholders in Khartoum as “fruitful”.
