The Chad-Sudan frontier and the restive militias which straddle it are looming larger as tensions rise, On 29 January, Sudan s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, went to Ndjamena to discuss growing insecurity on the Chad-Sudan border. No surprises there, perhaps, but the next day his number two, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Hemeti followed him to the Chadian capital – but with a different agenda.
Regional and international officials say the Asmara regime has been greatly strengthened by Ethiopia s civil war, Thanking Moscow s Eritrean friends for their consistent support of Russian initiatives in the UN, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sketched out closer ties between the two countries after meeting with President Issayas Afewerki on 26 January at the end of his four-country tour of Africa.
Political parties are negotiating a new path to elections while the generals protect their interests and militant oppositionists take to the streets, The bold hopes surrounding fresh talks between Sudanese political parties on 9 January to agree a final deal for a transition to civil rule within a few weeks look overblown.
Few believed Burhan s promise to hand over to civilians ahead of elections. And many fear that his deputy Hemeti is building a formidable power base, Two-and-a-half months on from General Abdel Fattah el Burhan s announcement that he and his fellow military officers were withdrawing from the political dialogue and would leave civilian politicians free to form a new government, the widespread scepticism that greeted it appears fully justified.