The Sudanese army retrieved on Monday an Egyptian military patrol that was missing in Libya and handed them to the Egyptian intelligence.

In a statement, military spokesman Tamer Rifai said that the Egyptian armed forces thank and appreciate the Sudanese armed forces for helping in the return of the missing patrol.

The statement did not provide any information about where the patrol was supposed to head and for what reason.

The patrol included five members who were lost in southern Libya.

Sudanese security officials claimed that members were kidnapped; however, Egypt said that they were missing.

The retrieval was coordinated by the Sudanese security and intelligence services and the Egyptian General Intelligence.

In a similar context, Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan Osama Shaltout announced a few days ago in a press statement that a Sudanese delegation is scheduled to arrive to Cairo on 7 August to start preparing for a presidential committee that will take place in October, which will aim at boosting cooperation.

This meeting will come after a time of tension due to Sudan’s stance regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Shaltout noted.

The higher Egyptian-Sudanese committee takes place every two years. This year it will be held in Cairo on the presidential level for the second time, while it was held in Khartoum in 2016.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had visited Khartoum on 19 July, where he met with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. He also received Sudanese Foreign Minister El-Darderi Mohammed Ahmed after the latter assumed his post in May.