Two high-ranking US officials said on Tuesday their visit to Khartoum aims at expressing support for the transition in Sudan and to follow up on Washington’s decision to make another $700 million available until Sept 2022 for assistance to the country.
Senator Chris Van Hollen and Senator Christopher Coons, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, arrived in Khartoum Monday on a two-day visit.
They met with President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and a number of ministers to discuss tension on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia and obstacles in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
“During talks with Hamdok, the US delegation expressed its deep concern over the tension on border issues between Sudan and Ethiopia and its repercussions on both countries,” Cabinet Affairs Minister Khalid Omer Yousif told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The US officials said Washington was willing to mediate in the dispute and contribute to reaching a peaceful agreement that meets the interests of all parties.
The minister said the senators also discussed US development aid to Sudan.
Following talks with the PM, he invited them to an Iftar, Yousif said.
The US delegation also discussed with the PM ways and means of boosting bilateral relations between the two countries.
Also on Tuesday, the delegation met with Burhan, who briefed them on Sudan’s vision to resolve differences on GERD through dialogue and on a border dispute with neighboring Ethiopia.
He also stressed the importance of allowing aid groups to provide services to Ethiopian refugees in eastern Sudan camps.
The two senators, which are expected to visit the camps on Wednesday, commended the role of the TSC President in leading the transition in Sudan.
