Egypt confronts a diplomatic problem as the crisis in Sudan develops

 


The 5.2 million-person city of Khartoum was bombarded by airstrikes and artillery fire on Saturday, sparking fires and wreaking havoc as simmering tensions between Sudan's ruling factions reached a breaking point. Tanks and trucks with mounted machine guns started rolling through the streets.

From Merowe in the north to El-Obeid in the south, fighting quickly spread over the whole country.

The situation in the neighbouring country of Sudan is more than simply a security concern for Egypt. A Twitter post that appeared on Saturday afternoon showed three Egyptian troops being held hostage close to Merowe. Merowe airfield functioned as a site for joint military drills between the two militaries, and there had been several rumours concerning the Egyptian military's involvement there.

The imprisoned soldiers were engaged in joint training exercises with the Sudanese military, not in hostilities, according to Ibrahim Al-Shwaimi, a former assistant minister of international affairs in Egypt.

It is hardly surprising that Egypt is worried about the stability of Sudan given the lengthy history of tense relations between Cairo and Khartoum. The usage of the water from the Nile and territorial disputes over the eastern portion of the Egypt-Sudan border remain problematic despite Egypt's millions of dollars invested in building projects in Sudan.

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