Sudanese Delegation in Cairo to Discuss Border Dispute with Ethiopia

 President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Thursday with a Sudanese delegation in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Thursday with a Sudanese delegation in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sudanese Delegation in Cairo to Discuss Border Dispute with Ethiopia

 President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Thursday with a Sudanese delegation in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Thursday with a Sudanese delegation in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received Thursday a Sudanese delegation in Cairo to discuss the recent border tensions between Khartoum and Addis Ababa, in addition to the latest regional developments, especially the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Sisi held talks with members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Lt-General Shamsedeen Kabashi and his accompanying delegation, including Sudanese Minister of Culture and Information Fisal Mohammed Salih, Chief of General Intelligence Gamal Abdel Meguid, and Secretary-General of the council Mohamed Youssef.

The talks tackled the latest developments concerning the mounting tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan over the disputed eastern border region of Al-Fashqa.

Sisi said that Egypt is looking forward to continuing cooperation and coordination with Sudan in various areas, given the long-standing ties and common interests between the two countries.

For his part, Kabashi stressed the distinguished and historical relations binding between Cairo and Khartoum, hailing Egypt's sustained support for Sudan during the current transitional period.

The delegation also discussed with Sisi the GERD issue and the necessity of coordinating efforts and stances to achieve the interests of both countries.

The visit comes after border tension between the two countries escalated during the conflict in the Tigray region.

Ethiopian forces and militias attacked Sudanese forces inside their territory, killing three individuals and a high-ranking officer.

The Sudanese army redeployed within its territory and regained control over more than 80 percent of the areas that had been witnessing an Ethiopian presence for many years.

The negotiations to demarcate the border between Sudan and Ethiopia last December failed to reach an agreement.

After arriving in Khartoum Thursday, Salih said the delegation briefed Sisi on the recent developments on the Sudanese-Ethiopian borders, pointing out that the visit is a part of an integrated program for visiting the neighboring and sisterly countries to brief them on the reality of the developments of the situations in the region.

He also said it comes as part of the political and diplomatic efforts being exerted by the government to inform the leaders and the governments on Sudan’s position concerning the situations on the Sudanese-Ethiopian borders.



People Displaced from North Gaza Face an Agonizing Wait

 Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
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People Displaced from North Gaza Face an Agonizing Wait

 Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)

For Palestinians in central and southern Gaza hoping to return to what remains of their homes in the war-battered north, the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas have forced an agonizing wait.

The agreement allows Palestinian civilians in the south to take the coastal Rashid road to northern Gaza starting on Saturday, when Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from the key route and Hamas is set to release four Israeli hostages in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

After 15 months of Israel’s invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, residents will enjoy more freedom of movement from the north to the south of the enclave.

As Palestinians in other parts of the strip reunite with scattered family members, pick their way through vast swaths of rubble and try to salvage what remains of their homes and their belongings, people seeking to return to the north have in limbo, their hopes and worries building.

“The first thing I’ll do, I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, one of the many people gathered in makeshift tents in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah preparing to set out for home in Gaza City the next day. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”

Nafouz al-Rabai, displaced from the urban al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, said the day she gets home will be a “day of joy for us.”

But she acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the coastal area she knew and loved.

“God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life.”