Ethiopian leader Abiy arrives in Sudan to meet head of ruling military council in mediation bid

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrives in Sudan for mediation talks. [Reuters]

Ethiopia’s prime minister arrived in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Friday to meet with the chief of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his office said.

“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, together with his delegation, arrived in Khartoum, Sudan this morning for talks,” Abiy’s office said on Twitter.

On Thursday, a diplomatic source said Ethiopia — where the African Union is based, planned a mediation effort in Sudan, with members of both the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the opposition.

The Ethiopian initiative follows the worst bloodshed in Sudan since Bashir was ousted by the military after four months of protests against his repressive three-decade rule.

The opposition says 108 people were killed in the storming of a civilian protest camp on Monday and a subsequent wider crackdown. The government put the toll at 61 people, including three security personnel.

The African Union on Thursday suspended Sudan until the establishment of civilian rule, intensifying global pressure on the military leaders to stand down. 

Both sides had been in talks over a civilian-led transition to democracy. But the already faltering negotiations collapsed in the wake of the crackdown.

Abiy Ahmed, who took office in Ethiopia last year and introduced political and economic reforms, has won wide praise for his diplomacy skills, including brokering peace with his country’s neighbor and long-time foe Eritrea.