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Sudan, Libya Agree to Cooperate on Fighting Terrorism

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Libya’s unity government chief in Khartoum on August 27, 2017 (AFP)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Libya’s unity government chief in Khartoum on August 27, 2017 (AFP)
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Sudan, Libya Agree to Cooperate on Fighting Terrorism

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Libya’s unity government chief in Khartoum on August 27, 2017 (AFP)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Libya’s unity government chief in Khartoum on August 27, 2017 (AFP)

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the head of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, agreed to cooperate on security issues, in particular fighting terrorism in order to restore Libya’s stability.

In a joint news conference with Sarraj in Khartoum, Bashir said his country had no agendas in Libya except to achieve unity and stability and restore security.

“We confirm that we do not have a special agenda that is not in the interests of the Libyan people,” he said.

Bashir stressed that his government’s support for the revolution against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 was based on the desire to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people and to consolidate security and stability in the country and the region.

“Unfortunately, things went against what we wanted, and we confirm that we have maintained our efforts to support the Libyan people and the country’s security,” he said.

He noted that some Sudanese members of rebel groups were active in Libya as mercenaries, stressing that they represented a real threat to Sudan.

“We are affected directly by the insecurity in Libya, which has made it expensive for us to fight human trafficking, illegal immigration and cross-border crimes,” Bashir said.

“Those who are committing these crimes are using the instability in Libya, and using Sudanese territories to commit their crimes,” he added.

For his part, Sarraj told reporters that he discussed with Bashir challenges facing the two countries, latest developments in Libya on the political, economic and security levels, and efforts to achieve national reconciliation and end divisions.

He added that talks have also touched on the means to secure common borders, the implementation of security agreements, the development of bilateral relations and the exchange of support in the economic fields, as well as the promotion of investment.

Sarraj arrived in the Sudanese capital on Monday on a two-day official visit, after a previous trip to the country was postponed in mid-March due to security unrest in Libya.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters at Khartoum airport that the official visit would tackle bilateral relations, Sudanese armed movements active in Libya, economic issues and coordination on regional and international levels.

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Arab World

Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
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Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)

Egypt said Friday that Ethiopia has consistently lacked the political will to reach a binding agreement on its now-complete dam, an issue that involves Nile River water rights and the interests of Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia’s prime minister said Thursday that the country’s power-generating dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on the Nile is now complete and that the government is “preparing for its official inauguration” in September.

Egypt has long opposed the construction of the dam, because it would reduce the country's share of Nile River waters, which it almost entirely relies on for agriculture and to serve its more than 100 million people.

The more than the $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border began producing power in 2022. It’s expected to eventually produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity — double Ethiopia’s current output.

Ethiopia and Egypt have spent years trying to reach an agreement over the dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011.

Both countries reached no deal despite negotiations over 13 years, and it remains unclear how much water Ethiopia will release downstream in case of a drought.

Egyptian officials, in a statement, called the completion of the dam “unlawful” and said that it violates international law, reflecting “an Ethiopian approach driven by an ideology that seeks to impose water hegemony” instead of equal partnership.

“Egypt firmly rejects Ethiopia’s continued policy of imposing a fait accompli through unilateral actions concerning the Nile River, which is an international shared watercourse,” Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a statement Friday.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said that his country “remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.”

“We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,” he said. “Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.”

However, the Egyptian water ministry said Friday that Ethiopian statements calling for continued negotiations “are merely superficial attempts to improve its image on the international stage.”

“Ethiopia’s positions, marked by evasion and retreat while pursuing unilateralism, are in clear contradiction with its declared willingness to negotiate,” the statement read.

However, Egypt is addressing its water needs by expanding agricultural wastewater treatment and improving irrigation systems, according to the ministry, while also bolstering cooperation with Nile Basin countries through backing development and water-related projects.