Sudan recalls its ambassador to Egypt
Khartoum's close relationship with Ankara, which Cairo has been at odds with since 2013 when former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by a coup, has been a reason for renewed tensions between Egypt and Sudan.
Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir addresses the nation during the 62nd Anniversary Independence Day at the Palace in Khartoum, Sudan on December 31, 2017.
Sudan on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Egypt for "consultations" after renewed tension between the two neighbours following last month's visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Khartoum.
Ties between Khartoum and Cairo have deteriorated since Sudanese President Omar al Bashir last year accused Egyptian intelligence services of supporting opposition figures fighting his troops in the country's conflict zones like Darfur.
Officials from both countries have engaged in high-level diplomatic initiatives to improve their relations, but Erdogan's visit to Khartoum in December delivered a new blow to Cairo-Khartoum ties.
"Sudan has called its ambassador to Cairo, Abdelmahmoud Abdelhalim, to Khartoum for consultations," the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a brief statement on Thursday without offering details.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said Sudan had informed it about recalling the ambassador, adding that Cairo was "examining" the situation.
Ties between Turkey and Egypt have remained tense since the Egyptian military ousted democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Erdogan denounced the coup and Morsi's ouster.
Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement was then outlawed in Egypt. Its members were rounded up and handed mass death sentences on what critics say were trumped up charges. Some members of the group have sought refuge in Turkey.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, who as then army chief ousted Morsi, accuses Turkey of interfering in his country's internal affairs.
Other reasons for the deterioration of relations between Cairo and Khartoum include the construction of Ethiopia's controversial Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile river.
Khartoum sees the dam aiding its agricultural sector while Cairo fears it will hit its water supplies.
Egypt's occupation of the Halayeb triangle, which lies near the Red Sea in a mineral-rich border region, is another bone of contention.
Khartoum says Halayeb has been part of its sovereign territory since shortly after independence in 1956.
Last May, Sudan banned imports of Egyptian agricultural and animal products, delivering a blow to bilateral trade.
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