Egypt's intelligence chief discuses GERD with top Sudanese officials

CAIRO – 4 January 2021: Egypt’s Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel visited Khartoum Monday where he discussed GERD, wide-scale cooperation and regional developments with top Sudanese officials.

Kamel tackled mutual interests with Sudanese counterpart Jamal Abdul Majeed, Chairman of the Military Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

He conveyed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s greetings to the Sudanese people on their Independence Day on Jan. 1, stressing Egypt’s determination to support Sudan in all fields.

Sisi emphasized this support to Burhan in a Saturday phone call. The two countries have become much closer in recent months, with mega projects such as railway and electrical linkage underway.

Meanwhile, a tripartite meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia terminated on Monday due to the absence of Sudan, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. 

The meeting, which was held upon an invitation from the Ethiopian side, was attended by water ministers from Egypt and Ethiopia, technical and legal delegations from the two countries, observers and experts assigned by the African Union Commission, the statement said, adding that, Sudan did not participate in the meeting.

This negotiation round aims at discussing the controversial points of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). 

It has been agreed that the next round of negotiations is expected to be held at the end of this week to consider the outcomes of the tripartite negotiations.

Sudan News Agency (SUNA) had reported that Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas and Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Omar Qamar al-Din took part in the ministerial meeting held January 3.

The meeting was chaired by South African Minister of International Cooperation given that South Africa is currently the chair of the African Union (AU) mediating the negotiations.

As for the content of the meeting, it focused on Sudan's proposal aimed at making the negotiations more effective by enlarging the role of the AU through its experts. The goal is reaching a legal binding agreement. It is noted that the AU experts have already drafted one that should be satisfactory to the three states.