KHARTOUM – Sudan has reportedly refused an entry visa for Ethiopian intelligence chief Redwan Hussein after he sought to make an urgent visit to the country, amid escalating tensions between Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
The reported visa refusal was attributed to senior Sudanese diplomatic sources, but Sudan’s Foreign Ministry has not publicly confirmed the decision and Ethiopian authorities have not announced the proposed visit.
The development comes as relations between the two neighboring countries deteriorate over mutual accusations of interference and support for armed groups.
Tensions intensified after Ethiopian military chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Sudan and Egypt of supporting an alliance of armed and political groups seeking to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) rejected the Ethiopian accusations on Sept. 27, describing them as baseless and saying Sudan remained committed to international law, good-neighborly relations and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.
In the same statement, the Sudanese army accused Ethiopia of allowing support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from Ethiopian territory, including training, logistical assistance and the alleged use of Ethiopian territory for drone operations against Sudan.
The army did not publicly provide detailed evidence for those allegations in its statement.
Sudanese officials have made similar accusations in recent months as fighting intensified in Blue Nile, close to the Ethiopian border. Ethiopia has previously denied supporting the RSF.
The dispute has also unfolded against renewed instability inside Ethiopia, where several armed and opposition groups recently announced a new alliance amid escalating tensions in the north of the country.
Fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile region has involved the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu against government forces in parts of the region.
The border has consequently become an increasingly sensitive security issue for both Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
Redwan Hussein previously visited Sudan in June 2025, when he held talks with Sudanese intelligence officials focused on security cooperation and information sharing.
The reported refusal of his latest visit, if officially confirmed, would mark a further deterioration in security contacts between the two countries.
Neither Sudan’s Foreign Ministry nor the Ethiopian government had issued an official statement confirming the visa refusal at the time of publication.
