Egypt's Sissi, South Sudan's Kiir meet in Cairo

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-sissi on Monday met with visiting South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir in Cairo.

The South Sudanese presidency said in a statement that the two leaders would discuss various issues related to joint cooperation between both countries.

Sissi and Kiir's meetings comes just days after the resumption of talks between Sudan's warring sides in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.

The visit to Egypt comes less than six months since President Kiir and several leaders in the region met in Cairo in July 2023, to attend the Sudan neighbours summit which was convened to discuss ways to peacefully resolve the conflict in Sudan.

The meeting, chaired by El-Sisi, attracted representatives from seven countries that border Sudan, including South Sudan, Egypt, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Both Sissi and Kiir face upcoming elections in their respective countries. 

Egypt will hold its Presidential vote this December, while South Sudan's first ever vote - in which Kiir will run for the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - is slated for late 2024.