Sudanese president visits Qatar

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Doha on Tuesday for a two-day visit, his first foreign trip since the outbreak of domestic protests demanding his ouster more than a month ago.

Al-Bashir arrived at Hamad International Airport, where he was received by Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Soltan Al-Muraikhi, state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is expected to meet al-Bashir on Wednesday to discuss friendly relations between the two countries and issues of mutual interest, QNA said.

According to Sudanese government statistics, 26 people have been killed during the protests that called for an end to the almost three-decade rule of al-Bashir.

The emir of Qatar expressed support for Sudan in a phone call with al-Bashir last December.