Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian premier, met General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of Sudan's army on Tuesday. He was the first foreign leader since the beginning of the conflict in Port Sudan between the army forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Abiy, seen previously as being closer to the RSF and the army, hosted the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in Addis Ababa, in December. He framed his visit as a part of the push to bring stability back to Sudan after almost 15 months of conflict.

The conflict between the Sudanese army factions has forced 10 million people to leave their homes. It also created conditions similar to famine in some parts of the country and threatens destabilisation.

The army has control of eastern and northern states including Port Sudan which is its base.

Saudi Arabia hosted talks with the United States at Jeddah last year to broker a ceasefire. However, the talks stalled and efforts to get the army to return to the table for negotiations have failed.

Both sides shared images of Burhan and Abiy walking together and laughing after the Ethiopian leader arrived. Abiy’s office told X that the visit was part of Abiy’s efforts to find “sustainable solutions for Sudan’s stability”.

A source familiar with the situation said Abiy's chances of success were better if he was on the ground.

Source: "The existence of Sudan is at risk and the PM turned to face the Sudan when the world turned its back."

The visit came after a RSF attack in the state of Sennar, located in the south-east region of Sudan last month, brought the war to the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. RSF has been moving towards Gedaref, the state that hosts over 600,000 Sudanese refugees and tens or thousands of Ethiopians.

Last month, Sudanese Farmers in the State said that Ethiopian Fano armed militiamen entered the disputed Fashaga Territory between the two nations. Abiy stated in a Monday speech that he wouldn't use the war to settle this issue and that his Government would not support any party.

Abiy’s visit to Port Sudan comes also despite previous tensions with army.

RSF leader Dagalo (also known as Hemedti) chose Addis Ababa to host the Taqaddum civilian coalition, which was criticized by the army. Burhan's deputy claimed last year that Ethiopian fighters backed the RSF.

Abiy, a close ally of United Arab Emirates (UAE), is accused by the army of providing material assistance to the RSF. The UAE denies the allegations, but U.N. expert say they are credible.

Alan Boswell is the director of Crisis Group's Horn of Africa Project. "The biggest question that many people have is whether Abiy can position himself as a middleman between Burhan, and the UAE or convey messages between them," he said. Reporting by Dawit Endshaw in Addis Ababa; Nafisa eltahir, Cairo; Khalid Abdelaziz, Dubai. Editing by Aidan Lewis.