By Hussien Elkabany and Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) - Officials from Egypt, Libya and Sudan held a high-level meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo, local media reported Wednesday.
They exchanged views on challenges and security developments in the region, according to the Al-Qahera News channel, which didn’t disclose how long the meeting lasted or the names of the participants.
The meeting followed visits from Libyan and Sudanese officials with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after a border crisis.
The Cairo meeting discussed "coordination and joint cooperation between the three countries to maintain national security and uphold the supreme interests of their peoples," according to the channel.
Egypt expressed its "sincere appreciation and thanks to Sudan and Libya for their efforts to deepen ties and integration to achieve stability and prosperity," it said.
On June 18, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that more than 4,000 Sudanese were displaced internally and nearly 1,000 others had fled to Libya due to clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group in the tri-border area with Egypt and Libya.
The IOM said its field teams estimated that 4,278 people were displaced from the triangle area to Sudan's Northern State following clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF during June 15-17.
It added that around 950 people crossed the border into Libya fleeing the clashes amid ongoing tensions and continued displacement in the area.
On June 11, the Sudanese army announced the withdrawal of its forces from the border triangle area as part of "defensive arrangements," accusing the RSF of attacking the area "with support from fighters affiliated with Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar," accusations denied by the latter.
Recently, Sisi met separately in Egypt with Haftar and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, discussing developments in both countries and regional and international efforts to restore security and stability in the area.
The triangle area is a strategic junction connecting Sudan, Egypt and Libya, with high security and economic importance.
The Sudanese army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.