Sudan to return ambassador to Cairo: foreign minister

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour is seen during a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo: Reuters)

Sudan will send its ambassador back to neighboring Egypt on Monday, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said, two months after withdrawing him amid heightened tensions.

Khartoum has not explained why it recalled Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim early in January. But disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb? Triangle border area and Egyptian suspicion of a Sudan-Turkey naval agreement have strained ties.

“Relations between our people and our countries are historic and maintaining them is a responsibility. Setting them on the right path is a duty,” Ghandour told Reuters on Saturday.

A committee including the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from both countries met in Cairo last month in an attempt to cool tensions.

Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year.