Translated from Arabic:
President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Sudan and the newspapers and writers comments on it.
Many Sudanese newspapers covered President Isaias Afwerki’s visit on November 29 to Port Sudan, the temporary administrative capital, where he was warmly received by the Sudanese government and people. The timing and importance of the visit reflected the messages it carried, stemming from a commitment to the unity and identity of the Sudanese state with all its components, affirming the state and sovereignty of Sudan, which is one of the most important and prominent, indeed a fundamental pillar of the balances in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and consequently its stability. This means a major contribution to the stability of the entire region.
Therefore, given the importance of the visit, many newspapers dedicated sections and pages to expressing its significance and the implications and visions it conveyed. Among them was
Al-Tayyar newspaper, which featured on its front page,
Afwerki Receives Idris to Strengthen Regional Cooperation,
reporting that the meeting reviewed the course of strategic relations between the two countries.
Alwan newspaper also carried the news under the headline,
Burhan and Afwerki Meet: Tighten the Rope and Cut the Sword.
Al-Neel International wrote,
Eritrean President Afwerki in Port Sudan.
Al-Karama newspaper, in bold headlines, stated,
Burhan and Afwerki Discuss Current Developments in Sudan, Strengthen Bilateral Relations, and Exchange Views on Regional Issues of Common Interest.
It praised the visit, its timing, and its significance, and hosted analysts to discuss the visit and what the two leaders, Afwerki and Burhan, discussed, in addition to the president’s reception of Sudanese officials and his discussions with them.
Some also wrote an analysis of the visit, its importance, timing, objectives, and their expectations of its results :- Journalist
Rashan Oshi wrote an article entitled:
Isaias Afwerki… The man of the African horn who reads geography with the eye of history,
in which she said :-
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki is one of the leaders most adept at understanding the complex dynamics of the Horn of Africa. The man who initially resisted all forms of imperialist domination now finds himself confronting a new wave of neo-colonialism that infiltrates through ports, gold, and the financing of chaos.
His positions constituted an explicit rejection of any attempt to wrest national decision-making from the countries of the region, whether by igniting conflict hotspots or by offering inducements that conceal ambitions to control strategic coasts.
At a highly sensitive moment in Sudan's history, Afwerki emerged as one of the few leaders who championed the necessity of maintaining a unified and cohesive Sudanese state, recognizing that the disintegration of Sudan would cause structural instability throughout the entire region. He did not approach the crisis with a policy of taking sides, but rather with the vision of a man who believed that if chaos spread in Sudan, its flames would not be contained within Eritrea's borders.
His role has emerged as a “regional stabilization guardian” seeking to prevent the region from sliding into a centerless conflict, and to support solutions that reproduce the Sudanese state as a axis for Red Sea stability.
Afwerki's recent visit and meetings with the Sudanese leadership were not merely protocol visits, but rather an expression of a firm conviction that their destinies are intertwined and that the Horn of Africa countries must rebuild their security environment free from predatory interference. He seemed to be drawing on his extensive experience to assert that sovereignty cannot be exchanged for fleeting economic privileges, and that the future of East Africa can only be shaped by the free will of its people.
With this vision, Afwerki remains one of the few who are trying to restore the geopolitical consciousness of the region, to protect it from waves of disintegration, and to put Sudan, with all its wounds, in its natural place: a central state without which the region cannot be stable.
Journalist
Mohamed Osman Al-Radhi wrote an article entitled “
The Eritrean President’s Visit to Sudan.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki Abraham is the only president who declared his clear and public position as soon as the war broke out, and he still maintains his firm and renewed position of supporting Sudan without specific limits and in all fields, and in plain sight, without fear or hesitation.
Anyone who thinks this visit is just an ordinary visit and will pass by unnoticed is mistaken. To be honest, it will be the only visit that will turn the regional and international balances up. Presidential visits often have secrets and publicities, and not everything that is known is said.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki set the finest examples and most sincere intentions in his love, loyalty, and devotion to the Sudanese people, and translated that into action on the ground. As the old saying goes, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Likewise, the academic
Nour El-Din Ali Al-Faki (Professor at Abdul Latif Al-Hamad University) wrote:
The visit of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Sudan was not just a passing diplomatic event, but a calculated step that carries deep political and security messages at a moment that is the most sensitive in the history of modern Sudan.
This visit, coming at a time when the country's future is being shaped by war, underscores that Sudan still has regional allies who understand the situation and recognize that Sudan's stability is key to the stability of the entire region. Afwerki's arrival in Port Sudan and the official and popular reception he received reflect a clear desire on both sides to enhance coordination and strengthen shared interests, particularly in security and border matters, as well as the economic cooperation that Khartoum needs now more than ever.
Eritrea, with its strategic location and political weight in the Horn of Africa, does not act haphazardly. This visit is a direct message of support for the Sudanese state, confirming that the regional door is not closed as some imagine. It also signals the beginning of a new political alignment in the region, restoring balance amidst international and regional interventions seeking to influence the course of the Sudanese crisis.
In addition, the two sides agreed to open avenues for economic and trade cooperation that could contribute to revitalizing some vital sectors within Sudan despite the war.
In other words: the visit is a political show of support, a strengthening of alliances, and a message that Sudan is not alone in its struggle.
It also shows that the countries of the region have begun to realize that the prolonged war will not serve anyone, and that standing with the Sudanese state is the closest option to stability and preventing the disintegration of the region.
The visit provides an important moral and political boost, opens the door to broader cooperation in the next stage, and reaffirms that the power equations in the region are being reshaped... and Sudan is an integral part of this equation, neither subordinate nor isolated.
In conclusion, President Isaias Afwerki’s visit carried many dimensions and implications. Although it was short in terms of time, it accomplished a lot, set the compass, corrected the course, and confirmed the firm and principled position of Eritrea, government and people, with the brothers in Sudan, despite all the circumstances, difficulties, and conspiracies being hatched here and there. It had worked hard to work with the rest of Sudan’s neighboring countries to address the situation in Sudan through the Cairo Conference last year, in order to prevent foreign interventions. Because Eritrea's primary concern is for the Horn of Africa to find respite from the ongoing hardship and suffering caused by wars and conflicts instigated by forces of evil and aggression—a concern shared by all those eager for security, peace, and stability in the region—it has consistently strived since independence to lay the foundations for security and stability in the region. This includes addressing the tragedies perpetrated by Ethiopia, such as the burning of villages and the commission of grave war crimes. Eritrea has also sought to reshape the IGAD framework to serve the interests of the region's peoples. Even after Ethiopia's invasion of Eritrea in 1998 and its continued hostility until 2018, Eritrea extended a hand of peace and cooperation, not only to Ethiopia but also to Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia in July and September of that year. Furthermore, Eritrea played a key role in the recent Cairo meeting and, prior to that, in the Asmara Agreement last year, which brought together the presidents of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Somalia, and Eritrea. Despite all attempts to obstruct these efforts, we will not despair. We will work tirelessly to achieve peace and stability in the region, and victory is certain. Always our ally.
Weyni Kelati, a 2024 Olympian in the 10,000 meters and the American record holder in the half-marathon, continued to build her lead in the closing stages and won convincingly in 33:45.5 for her second national cross country title.
