Ahmad 
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali met with the President of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, today, Tuesday, in Port Sudan.
With this step, Abiy Ahmed Ali will be the first foreign politician to visit Al-Burhan in his military capital, Port Sudan, since the start of the Sudanese crisis in April 2023.
Abiy said that this visit came as part of an effort to achieve stability in Sudan, nearly 15 months after the outbreak of the crisis.
Abiy was previously seen as closer to the RSF than the army, and previously hosted its commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in Addis Ababa in December.
Pictures published by the two sides showed Al-Burhan and Abiy laughing and walking side by side after the arrival of the Ethiopian leader.
Abiy’s office described the visit via the “X” platform as part of the efforts aimed at finding sustainable solutions for Sudan’s stability.
An informed source said that Abiy has a better chance of achieving a breakthrough through his presence in person.
The source added, “Sudan’s very existence is at stake, and when the world turned its back on it, the Ethiopian Prime Minister expressed his great interest in Sudan.”
This visit comes after an attack by the Rapid Support Forces on Sennar State in the southeast of the country last month, which brought the war closer to Sudan’s border with Ethiopia.
There were indications that the Rapid Support Forces entered Gedaref State, which hosts more than 600,000 displaced Sudanese, in addition to tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees.
Abiy’s visit to Port Sudan also comes despite previous tension with the army, as Abiy is considered an ally of the UAE, which the army accuses of providing material support to the Rapid Support Forces, something that Abu Dhabi denied.
Alan Boswell, director of the Horn of Africa Project at the International Crisis Group, said: “The big question many are asking is whether Abiy can position himself as a mediator between Al-Burhan and the UAE, or carry messages between them.”
4.5 million Ethiopians are displaced due to conflicts and climate disasters