Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt on Tuesday called on international donors to swiftly fulfill their pledges to support Sudan, and its neighboring refugee-hosting countries after millions of Sudanese have been displaced due to the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

“Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo.

Since the conflict erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023, some 10 million have been displaced within the country or have fled into neighboring countries, making it the largest displacement crisis globally, according to UN statistics.

Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's unwavering support for the stability and safety of Sudan and its people, stressing Cairo's commitment to helping the Sudanese people overcome political, security, and humanitarian challenges caused by the ongoing war.

Early this month, Egypt hosted the Sudanese Political and Civil Forces Conference aimed at ending the war in the country.

According to the Egyptian FM, the Conference affirmed the need to maintain state institutions, deliver aid to Sudan and its neighbors, and ensure Sudanese control over the political process.

A Foreign Ministry statement said during their meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, Abdelatty and Awad reviewed the latest progress of the ongoing Egyptian development projects in Sudan, such as the electrical interconnection project and the reconstruction and development of Wadi Halfa Port.

Abdelatty pledged Egypt's continued commitment to completing these projects, the statement noted.

He called on international donors to quickly fulfill their pledges made at the conferences in Geneva and Paris to support Sudan, its neighboring refugee-hosting countries, and the UN humanitarian response plan.

Abdelatty said Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries.

Egypt has received more than half a million of Sudanese fleeing the war, in addition to more than 5 million Sudanese who already reside in Egyptian cities, according to Egyptian government estimates.

For his part, the Sudanese minister thanked Egypt for the facilities and services provided to Sudanese citizens since the crisis began, including health and educational services, according to the Egyptian statement.

He also praised Egypt’s initiatives aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis.

Abdelatty and Awad touched on several regional issues such as the situation in the Horn of Africa, the Gaza Strip crisis, the Red Sea security, the situation in Libya, and the Sahel–Saharan region.

They also discussed the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), reaffirming the unified stance of both countries on water security.



Rising Interest in Russian Language in Syria

Russian language class at a school in Syria (SANA)
Russian language class at a school in Syria (SANA)
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Rising Interest in Russian Language in Syria

Russian language class at a school in Syria (SANA)
Russian language class at a school in Syria (SANA)

As the 10th anniversary of Russia’s military intervention in Syria approaches on Sep. 30, and with the new school year starting, Syrian Ministry of Education figures show a notable rise in students learning Russian.
There are now 39,500 students from seventh grade through the second year of secondary school studying Russian, according to Bassam Al-Tawil, the top Russian language instructor at the Ministry, speaking to SANA.
In 2020, around 24,000 students were studying Russian. By 2021, this number had increased to over 31,000, spread across 217 schools in 12 provinces, with a teaching staff of 190 instructors.
Since its military intervention in Syria in 2014, Russia has focused on increasing its cultural influence through education.
The Syrian government introduced Russian as a second foreign language option in schools starting from the 2014-2015 academic year, alongside English or French, for students in the later stages of basic education.
A Russian language department was also set up at Damascus University that year.
In the past nine years, Russia has expanded Russian language education by equipping classrooms with interactive tools, opening more classes and centers, training teachers, and organizing camps in Russia for Syrian students.
Recently, the Syrian Ministry of Education received about 5,000 copies of a new “Russian Language Curriculum” textbook for seventh grade. Created by a joint committee from Syria and Russia, the textbook will be tested this year.
Dr. Rami Al-Dalli, Deputy Minister of Education, announced that the book, delivered by a Russian organization, will be distributed to schools in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, Sweida, and Daraa—areas with the most Russian language classes.
Al-Dalli said this move marks the “culmination” of the collaboration between the Syrian and Russian education ministries and aims to enhance their partnership.
According to SANA, Alexei Cherkizov, known for his involvement with the “Global Christian Union,” the organization which distributed the curriculum in Syria, reported that “1,000 Syrian students receive scholarships to study in Russia each year, totaling 5,000 Syrian students currently in Russian universities.”
He also noted that six remote Russian language classes have been offered by the Syrian Ministry of Education for the past four years.