CAIRO, April 15 (Reuters) – The head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Saturday his forces were ready to cooperate with Egypt to facilitate the return of Egyptian troops who surrendered to a group in northern Sudan. The city of Merov.
After clashes erupted across Sudan between the RSF and the army, RSF shared a video they said showed Egyptian troops “surrendering” in Mero, between the Sudanese capital Khartoum and its border with Egypt.
The Egyptian military said Egyptian forces were conducting exercises with their Sudanese counterparts in Sudan and coordinating with Sudanese authorities to guarantee their security.
The video shows several men in military fatigues crouching on the ground and speaking in Egyptian Arabic to members of the RSF, Sudan’s main paramilitary group.
RSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Tagalo, known as Hemeti, told Sky News Arabia TV that the Egyptian soldiers were safe, that the RSF had provided them with food and water and that they were comfortable returning.
RSF forces mobilized towards Mero’s military airport on Wednesday, prompting a military statement a day later that described the latest RSF moves as illegal, bringing long simmering differences to the surface.
Egypt has long been wary of political change in Sudan. It strongly supports Sudan’s military and has recently encouraged talks with pro-military political parties in parallel with a plan to shift towards elections backed by Hemeti.
Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir, Alaa Swilam and Omar Abdelrazek Writing by Nadine Awadalla in Dubai Editing by Aidan Lewis and Francis Kerry
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