Sudan presses Egypt after islands conceded to Saudi

Sudan has reiterated that it will not abandon its “sovereign right” over the two border territories of Halayeb and Shalateen, which have long been subject to a dispute with Egypt.

According to Press TV, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said on Monday that Khartoum “will not let go of our sovereign rights on” the territories, which overlook the Red Sea.

“We have adopted legal and political measures to assert our rights in the Halayeb triangle,” he added.

Sudan and Egypt have long disputed the ownership of the area, which is under Egyptian administration. Sudan has become more assertive since April, when Egypt transferred the sovereignty of two other Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Egypt, however, has ruled out doing the same in the dispute with Sudan.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said in a statement last month that “Halayeb and Shalateen are Egyptian territories and they fall under Egyptian sovereignty.

Sudan’s foreign minister said the Sudanese government seeks to see the text of the agreement signed between Egypt and Saudi Arabia “to figure out the impact of this agreement on our maritime borders.”

According to media reports, in their maritime agreement, Riyadh and Cairo have used maps in which Halayeb falls within Egyptian territory.

Conceding the sovereignty of the strategic islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Riyadh provoked massive protests in the Egyptian capital.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Cairo and other cities last Friday against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s decision to give up the islands.

A large number of other people have also taken to social media over the past days to show their anger at the government decision.

ME