Sudan’s envoy returns to Cairo in a sign of improved ties

CAIRO – Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt has returned to Cairo more than two months after he was recalled by his government for consultations, a move that signalled deteriorating relations at the time.

The return of Abdel-Mahmoud Abdel-Halim, who flew back to Cairo late on Monday, follows a January meeting between the leaders of Egypt and Sudan — Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Omar al-Bashir — on the sidelines of an African summit in Addis Ababa.

The two countries’ foreign ministers and heads of intelligence also held talks in Cairo last month.

Tension between the two neighbours was primarily over Khartoum’s repeated attempts to revive a longstanding border dispute and its perceived support for the construction of a massive dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia that Cairo fears will reduce its vital water share.