Sisi, Burhan Call for Legally Binding Agreement on GERD

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi, Burhan Call for Legally Binding Agreement on GERD

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed Wednesday with Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan the latest regional developments and bilateral ties.

They agreed to carry on intensive consultations and joint coordination on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issues, considering it a matter of national security.

The officials also reaffirmed their unwavering stance in seeking a legally binding agreement on the rules of filling and operating the mega dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile River in a way that achieves the three countries’ common interests.

Cairo underlined the importance of joint action, provided that current developments do not affect efforts to help Sudan achieve political and economic stability and maintain security.

Both countries issued a joint statement underlining the importance of boosting economic ties and increasing trade exchange in a way that amounts to the existing momentum in political relations and historical ties that unite the two brotherly peoples.

Egypt vowed to send aid packages and logistical and humanitarian support to Sudan, provide technical support to Sudanese cadres and activate all bilateral cooperation programs based on Cairo’s unlimited support for Khartoum.

Sudan said it is proud of the firm ties between the two countries on all levels.

It commended the “mutual efforts to promote joint bilateral cooperation and Egypt’s sincere and relentless support to preserve Sudan’s safety and stability.



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.”