Egypt leader shows support for 'Sudanese people's will'

ANKARA

In his first statements on last week’s military coup in Sudan, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed his support for the “will of the Sudanese people”.

In a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, al-Sisi said Egypt was “closely following” developments in Sudan, according to statements by an al-Sisi spokesman cited by news website Russia Today.

According to the spokesman, al-Sisi also stressed Egypt’s “respect for the sovereignty of the Sudanese people” based on the principle of “non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs”.

Last week, the Sudanese army ousted al-Bashir after months of protests against his 30-year rule. It also established a Military Transitional Council to run the nation’s affairs for a two-year transitional period.

Al-Sisi came to power in Egypt on the back of a 2013 military coup against Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first-ever democratically-elected president.