With our correspondent in Addis Ababa, Noé Hochet-Bodin

This meeting was very important for the two leaders as war in Tigray continues for nearly a month and a half. A conflict that spills over into Sudan, with more than 50,000 Ethiopian refugees. The visit, which was supposed to last two days, was cut short, raising questions about the understanding between Khartoum and Addis Ababa and about the future of possible mediation in Tigray.

It was as the acting president of the Igad (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) regional authority that Abdallah Hamdok traveled to Ethiopia.

He had been one of the first to call for mediation a month ago, a proposal at the time refused by Abiy Ahmed. According to Reuters news agency, it was to reiterate this request that he went to Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian government denies this and asks "what mediation" could be involved. Yet a Sudanese official claims that Addis Ababa would have accepted an emergency meeting with other countries in the region under the auspices of Igad.

Initially scheduled for two days, the visit lasted only half a day. The exact reasons are not yet known. But there are points of friction between Khartoum and Addis Ababa.

First, the question of the Nile dam, where Sudan recently left the negotiating table. Next, the fate of more than 50,000 refugees who crossed into Sudan and whom Abiy Ahmed would like to see return to Ethiopia because he suspects them of being TPLF (Tigray People's Liberation Front) agents. Finally, the question of territorial claims. Khartoum has regained control of fertile lands on the Ethiopia-Sudan border, a source of tension for 25 years.

After the visit, Abiy Ahmed traveled to Mekelle where he held a press conference in military uniform. There he congratulated his troops, who recaptured the Tigray provincial capital ten days ago.