The Egyptian government continues to exert efforts to address the issue of truck congestion on the Sudanese borders.
The Transport Ministry said on Thursday that the “slow” completion of procedures at corresponding Sudanese crossings leads to the congestion at the Arqin and Qustul land crossings.
The overcrowding is also caused by the mismatch in working hours, it added.
Trade between Egypt and Sudan has seen growth over the last year, reaching $1.5 billion compared to around $900 million in 2021, according to official figures.
In May, clashes broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum. Stranded Egyptian drivers called on the Egyptian officials to facilitate their return to their home country.
Egyptian ports (Arqin – Qustul) are equipped with state-of-the-art detection devices, including X-RAY machines, streamlining procedures and reducing clearance time within Egyptian ports, the ministry added on Thursday.
A committee led by the presidential advisor for the southern and remote areas Major General Ahmed Gamal Eddin, Aswan Governor Ashraf Attiya, head of the General Authority for Ports and Dry Land General Amr Ismail, and representatives of all the concerned Egyptian authorities checked Arqin al-Bari port on the Egyptian-Sudanese border to follow up the state efforts.
They also visited the neutral area between the Egyptian port and the Sudanese port.
Two mini-logistics zones were implemented in Wadi Karkar and the city of Abu Simbel to process Egyptian vehicles heading to Sudan, said the ministry.
Contact points have been identified between the logistic zones and the officials of the Qustul and Arqin ports. This coordination ensures the proper routing of vehicles and restricts any unauthorized movement.
Ongoing logistic support is being provided to the drivers round the clock in the region between Karkar, Abu Simbel, Arqin, and Qustul. This initiative is in partnership with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Aswan Governorate.
The ministry added that instructions have been issued allowing Egyptian vehicles to stay overnight inside the Qustul and Arqin ports if they've completed their procedures and there's no waiting area available in the neutral zone.
The Egyptian Minister of Transport, Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, has communicated with his Sudanese counterpart to expedite the entrance and exit of trucks between Egypt and Sudan.
