The Sudanese government is to send a presidential envoy to Eritrea soon to review the situation there, AFP reported on 7 October. The agency quotes Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma'il as saying that Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir, in his capacity as the current chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), "follows the situation closely and will dispatch an envoy to Asmara in the coming few days to discuss the situation with Eritrean officials". There has been growing political dissent in Eritrea since May when 15 prominent members of the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice signed an open letter critical of President Isayas Afewerki's allegedly autocratic style of government. Sudan was confident that President Isayas Afewerki would address the problem with wisdom and responsibility, said Isma'il, adding that Bashir "wants to reassure himself that the problem will be resolved, as what happens in neighboring Eritrea will affect Sudan," according to AFP.
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