Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday on a short business trip during which he is expected to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. Discussions are expected to cover bilateral ties, regional and international affairs and issues of common interests. The talks are also set to address the ongoing wave of anti-government protests that erupted in Sudan in December. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri had paid a visit to Sudan in December during which he underscored the strength of ties between their countries. Bashir will arrive in Cairo amid more calls from opposition groups to stage more rallies against his government. The Sudanese Professionals Association that is leading the protest campaign has called for more rallies over the next few days. It said protesters were called to hold sit-ins in every district square on Sunday, followed by daily demonstrations until Wednesday. Although the umbrella group of doctors, engineers and teachers remains unknown to many, its calls have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets, including in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. Bashir, who came to power in 1989, has remained steadfast in rejecting calls to resign. He has blamed the deadly violence on "infiltrators" among the protesters. While the spark for the first protests on December 19 was the rise of bread prices, anger has been mounting for years over worsening economic hardships and deteriorating living conditions. That ire has now spilt onto the streets as protesters chant their main slogan calling for "freedom, peace, justice". Bashir has blamed the economic woes on the United States. Washington lifted its trade embargo on Sudan in October 2017 after two decades of bruising economic punishment, but that failed to revive the countrys financial situation.