Sudan‘s army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egypt‘s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as diplomatic efforts to pause the country’s civil war gather pace.
A brief statement from the Egyptian presidency announcing Gen Al Burhan‘s visit suggested that a ceasefire in Sudan tops the agenda for his talks with Mr El Sisi.
It said their discussions “will focus on ways to end the Sudanese crisis in addition to bolstering the distinctive bilateral relations binding the two countries”.
Egypt and Sudan have had close relations since pharaonic times. The two Nile Basin nations were united from the 19th century until 1956, when Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian rule.
Egypt has, in the past, shown a preference for military-led regimes in Khartoum, consistently struggling to secure the loyalty of elected governments eager to emerge from what they saw as the patronage of their larger neighbour in the north.
Gen Al Burhan’s visit to Cairo follows his talks on Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. They discussed “the latest developments in Sudan, their repercussions and the ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability”, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to pause Sudan’s war were rekindled in November when US President Donald Trump said he would help end the conflict, after Crown Prince Mohammed urged him to intervene during a visit to Washington.
On Wednesday, Washington and Riyadh agreed on “practical steps” to bring about a humanitarian truce in Sudan, according to a senior US official. The official gave no details of the steps.
Gen Al Burhan has alternated between taking a hardline stance on the peace efforts by the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and showing flexibility. He had initially rejected their proposals outright before later moderating his position while insisting he would continue to fight the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) until it is vanquished.
However, pressure has mounted on the Sudanese general to agree to a ceasefire as his army has suffered major battlefield setbacks since October. It lost its last foothold in the western Darfur region to the RSF and later the city of Babanusa, in neighbouring Kordofan.
The latest fighting leaves the RSF in full control of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, and parts of Kordofan, where the fighting has shifted and the paramilitary group is allied with a powerful rebel group.
The army controls the capital, Khartoum, as well as the country’s eastern, northern and central regions. However, the vast distances separating the army and the RSF have been partially bridged by drones that travel hundreds of kilometres to strike the other side.
The latest of these strikes took place on Thursday, when drones suspected to belong to the RSF struck power facilities in northern Sudan, causing electricity cuts in Khartoum and Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Sudan’s Electricity Company said the Al Mogran-Atbara power plant was attacked by drones belonging to the RSF. Two civil defence personnel were killed at the site, according to local media reports.
It is the latest of the drone strikes blamed on the RSF that target infrastructure in army-held areas. Previous strikes targeted fuel tanks, the airport in Port Sudan and power plants in the north of the country.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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