Senegal and Egypt's top diplomats discuss strengthening bilateral relations

The foreign ministers of Senegal and Egypt met outside Cairo on Tuesday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing political coordination between the two countries.

Badr Abdelatty and his Senegalese counterpart, Cheikh Niang, also spoke about harmonising their positions on regional and international issues ahead of the upcoming African Union summit.

This included the ongoing civil war in Sudan, with Abdelatty saying they spoke about the importance of preserving “the sovereignty, unity, and independence of Sudanese lands”.

He went to say they rejected “any parallel entities or governments” and would not accept the “secession of any region from the Sudanese state".

Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

As of this year, the conflict has shifted into a de facto partition along a roughly west-east axis with the RSF controlling much of western Sudan.

At the regional level, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for counter-terrorism efforts in West Africa and the Sahel.

He stressed the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach that integrates security and development dimensions to address the root causes of terrorism.

Abdelatty also praised the growing ties between Cairo and Dakar, describing Senegal as a strategic partner for Egypt in West Africa.