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Sudan Tribune

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Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency

October 11, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan is headed towards a renewed dispute with Egypt over a border region after the electoral commission announced that it will be covered in the upcoming April 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections.

An aerial view of Halayeb Triangle on Egypt-Sudan borders (Google Earth)
An aerial view of Halayeb Triangle on Egypt-Sudan borders (Google Earth)
The commission made a surprising announcement that the residents of the Red Sea border area of Halayeb will be allowed to register as voters in the elections.

The head of the geographical constituencies in the commission Mukhtar Al-Asam told the government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) that the Eastern Front and legislators in the Red Sea region lodged a challenge for excluding Halayeb which was sustained.

Al-Asam stressed that all villages and areas of Halayeb triangle contain Sudanese citizens with constitutional rights under the color of law.

He added that the commission will deploy a mission to register voters in the region during the registration period saying that there are “measures undertaken by the government in this direction”.

Last year Egyptian authorities blocked Sudanese census agents from entering the region forcing them to exclude the region despite attempts to reverse Cairo’s decision.

At the time the Egyptian ambassador to Sudan told the pro-government Al-Rayaam newspaper that Halayeb is a “closed subject”.

The dispute over the region started in 1958 for similar reasons when Egypt refused to allow Sudan to conduct elections in the region which prompted military buildup after which Sudan lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council (UNSC) that has been renewed ever since.

In 1995 tensions renewed after Egyptian and Sudanese security forces in the region killing and wounding soldiers on both sides.

Egypt has moved to assert it control over Halayeb triangle by building various projects and distributing ID cards to its local people. It has also rejected proposals by Sudan to resort to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve the matter with its Southern neighbor.

It is not clear what Egypt’s response might be to Sudan’s announcement. Both countries enjoy strong political and economic relations.

Cairo has backed the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir against an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for him and hosted him twice since then.

On the other hand Sudan allied with Egypt to stall demands by other Nile Basin to amend Water agreements, something which Cairo views as a “red line” as Egyptian officials described it.

(ST)

27 Comments

  • thieleling
    thieleling

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    Agreed conspiracy between Egypt & NCP for chance to win election for NCP. If no census and not registered there, how can they vote? This is another way for Egypt to turn around and allow this constituency to vote in millions and then claim win for NCP. How many are there, millions? When does Egypt leave Sudan alone?

    Reply
  • Time1
    Time1

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    hahahaaay

    Now the Arabs face-off is coming, we want to see who is the real Arabs the Egyptian or this Arab-wannabe in the north.

    Egypt should keep that territory, north Sudan Arabs do not deserve it, they always bow down to Egyptians now Egypt has kicked them in their ass by taking their territory.

    Egypt should not give it back, if they Arab wannabe boys in the north really want halaib back let them take it from Egypt by force, there is nothing for free, they Egypt make them sweat for it so they will know how it feel when you take some body land and property.

    Reply
  • Dinka Boy
    Dinka Boy

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    Bashier tried to make thing complex. I believed Omar consulted Egypt to make election impossible between the South and North.
    This Criminal Bashier need to understand issues through his eyes,but not through Democracy.
    My enemy Arabs,you guys have to understand that there will be nothing that will prevent Southerners to dose you with Malaria quin this time.
    Any thing will be favarable to Southerners; gun sounds or democracy if you want it.
    I am tied of Arabs idealogies because they are greedy.

    Reply
  • Biliu
    Biliu

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    Egyptians should stop their insanity and hand over Halahieb to Sudanese government, the history has made it clear that Halahieb is a Sudanese region and most remain that so, if Egypt is refusing to resolve the dispute, then Sudanese have the right to resort to the International Community.

    I fully blame the NCP and Islamic polices in Sudan which made it harder for Sudanese to maintain good relations with their Neighbors, such as Chad and Egypt, yet truth most be appreciated …. Halahieb is a Sudanese region.

    Reply
  • jalabi
    jalabi

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    No matter what happens between Egypt and Sudan the two countries will never ever fight each other, president Jamal Abdel Nasir said that long time ago when prime minister Abdella Khalil deployed sudanese army in Haliab after british left Sudan, former president Abel Nasir said “my battle is not with Sudan”. Egypt is our elder brother, we have the same blood, we share the same destiny and strategy, our fate is one and what happens in one side will effect the other side. We know our elder brothers (Egyptians) have over population problem (really big problem), having the fact that Egypt lack for resources and the desert occupied all the country, solving this problem exists in Sudan, in clear words exists in south Sudan, the only solution is to populate Egyptians in south Sudan since the south is so big and full of resources and its population doesn’t fit with its big size at all (population around 3 million), our long plan and strategy is to arabize the south, damn british invasion they cut off our plan, we will facilitate and encourage the marriage between southerners and Egyptians, the new generation will become north by default and all the differencies between south and north will come to an end, by doing so we will solve the two big problems, Sudan problem and Egypt problem, this solution will take hundred of years until the new generation in the south look exactly like north in everything you can imagine, this solution seems to be strange but it is doable and that’s our real goal.

    Reply
  • Time1
    Time1

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    Jalabi

    Why is the sudan authorities wanting election to be held in Hallaib? if this is Egyptian territory why is it now needed for election, because you cannot hold election in a disputed territory because the status of the area is still undecided.

    But northerner just be coward and surrender your lands to your big brother Egypt because you are a fraid of them.

    Kenya is our people and they never claimed thAT Illema triangle belong to them, they never invaded it like, They have left it as it is from colonial time as the map showed only a tiny disputed area, they only have their posts in their desputed part and southerners do not have a problem with that because it is a norma situation. But Egypt move its whole army and invaded Hallaib in day light while Arab wannabe SAF army just stood and watch with hand tied.

    The brave northerners who do not bow to Arabs Egyptians bollying start to mobilize yourselves to fight for your lands and liberate it from this Egyptian occyiers and invaders.

    ofcourse you will get all the support from good wishers in Sudan and from allover the world.

    Reply
  • mohammed osman
    mohammed osman

    Egypt-Sudan border dispute looming over electoral constituency
    Stupid jalabi

    You arenot ones of th us northerns, we are brave brings only bowing to allah.

    We will not give a inch of our sacred lands to the Egyptians, you are just an Egyptian claimings to be with us Sudanese Arabs.We are ready to takes up our arms in the faces of this Egyptian invader, we have enough of their colonization approach toward the Sudanese peoples. Allah Akbar we will win against them.

    I is blame National Congress of Omer basher NCP for selling our lands while we are still alive but only under our dead bodies.

    I have had no electricity for the last 3 days just on and off, we are tired with this mess, we will fight Egyptians and the sellout NCP of the Omer basher.

    The peoples have risen up today in al Kameleen in al gezeera state, we will not be pressed down by the dictator, 25 of our mens is been injured in the protest today in Khameleen but we will continues to fight for our rights,they have brings this Chinese weapons company that is now polution our crops and poisoning our waters,you knows how many northerns is lost thier lifes to cancer in al Gezeera state alone from polution?

    The protest is continue untill our demands is accepted by NCP.

    Reply
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