Libyan-Sudanese relations

Relations between countries were unstable during the 1980s: alternated with periods of extreme hostility and allied relations. Sudanese President Jafar Mohammed Nimeyri and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were especially hostile to each other. In 1981, Jafar Nimeyri took part in the creation of the Libyan National Salvation Front (which fought against the Gaddafi regime) and allowed the broadcast of anti-Gaddafi programs from radio transmitters located in Sudan. The Libyan government responded by training opponents of the Nimeyri regime in Libya, as well as providing financial and material support to the NEA . In 1985, Nimeyri was overthrown by the military, the new government headed for the restoration of friendly relations with Libya. The government of Sadyk al-Mahdi allowed Libya to deploy part of its armed forces in Darfur , from where they assisted Chadian rebels in conducting raids against the government forces of Chad . However, Sudan’s friendly relations with Libya were not favorably received in Cairo and in 1988, in response to pressure from Egypt and the United States of America , the Government of the Sudan demanded the withdrawal of the Libyan armed forces from Darfur.

In June 1989, a military coup took place in Sudan, Omar al-Bashir came to power and relations with Libya expanded again. Khartoum and Tripoli even thought about uniting countries into a single state. In July 1990, a joint General People’s Committee was founded, and the Councils of Ministers of the two countries gathered for a general session. In 1990, an agreement was reached on unity, but the main result of integration was not a political union, but expansion of economic cooperation. Libya and Sudan signed a protocol on trade and development, which provided for Libyan investment in Sudan's agricultural projects in exchange for guaranteed food supplies. The countries also agreed to create a working committee to ease the visa regime for citizens traveling between Darfur and the municipality of Al-Kufrah on the Libyan side of the border.

In 2014, during the Civil War in Libya, Islamic forces enjoyed the support of Qatar , Sudan and Turkey , while secular forces supported Saudi Arabia , the UAE and Egypt. Field commander Ashraf al-Hasi accused Khartoum of supporting Libyan rebels and of using the airports of Sirte , Tripoli and Misrata to supply the rebels with weapons. In September 2014, al-Hasi said Sudan made an attempt to bring militants from Yemen to Libya. On September 6, 2014, Libyan authorities announced the detention at Kufrah airport of a Sudanese military aircraft loaded with weapons intended for rebels. Sudan described the incident as a misunderstanding and the Libyan authorities declared the Sudanese military attache in Tripoli persona non grata . On October 19, 2014, the presidents of Egypt and Sudan during a meeting in Cairo agreed to support the Libyan military in their fight against armed militias. Abdul-Fattah Khalil al-Sisi and Omar al-Bashir agreed to coordinate efforts to achieve stability in Libya through the support of state institutions and the army of this country.

• Libyan-Sudanese relations at countrystudies.us . (eng.)
• Libyan-Sudanese relations at globalsecurity.org . (eng.)