Sudanese miners accuse Egypt of delaying release their properties

July 11, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese miners on Sunday accused the Egyptian government of delaying the release of their items and properties seized by the Egyptian army a year ago.

In response, a Sudanese miners committee held the Sudanese ministry of foreign affairs the responsible for the Egyptian stance, saying it has been lenient toward the issue.

In August 2015, Egyptian authorities released 37 miners after being held for 5 five months on charges of cross-border infiltration. But their properties estimated at eight million dollars are still held by the Egyptian Army.

The seized properties include metal detectors, GPS equipments, satellite phones, a number of sophisticated compasses, amounts of raw gold, 430 cars and generators.

Suleiman Ahmed Markaz, the head of the committee of the Sudanese miners, has described the transfer of their case to the Egyptian military tribunal as another chapter of delaying the release of their properties.

News reports in Khartoum quoted the Egyptian ambassador to Sudan Osama Shaltot as saying the file of the properties of the Sudanese miners has been transferred to the military tribunal.

Markaz said in a press statement on Sunday that the Egyptian decision contradicts the diplomatic principle that has been adopted in the case of the Egyptians miners and fishermen, stressing that “the presidential amnesty includes both the people and the properties”.

The Sudanese miners were released after an amnesty issued by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in response to Sudan’s decision to pardon 101 Egyptian fishermen detained by Sudanese authorities since April 2015, on charges of crossing the territorial waters.

Although Khartoum has released the Egyptian fishermen with their boats, Egypt still holds the properties of the Sudanese miners for more than 10 months.

“The Egyptian ambassador said we shall go, as miners, to Egypt and assign lawyers to follow up our case at the military tribunal.

“How can we go again to Egypt again? How can we have lawyers to have our properties back?” “What is the point of the presidential amnesty? Are the Egyptian institutions above the decision of President al-Sisi?,” he wondered.

Markaz has also criticized the ministry of foreign affairs for not being able to bring their properties back, and for the leniency and silence toward the Egyptian movements aimed at confiscating their eight million dollar properties, describing as “disappointing” the statement of the foreign minister Ibrahim Ghanodur on their issue before the Parliament last June.

He further lauded the efforts of the Sudanese Ambassador to Cairo Abdel Mahmood Abdel-Haleem this regard, affirming that he has been following up their case with the Egyptian authorities.

He added that the ambassador has made several notes in this respect but “one hand cannot clap”.

During Sudanese Egyptian consultative and consular meetings in Khartoum on February 28, the Egyptian delegation has committed to release the properties of the Sudanese miners but the pledges have not been fulfilled.

Earlier in June, the Sudanese foreign ministry said it would seek the support of the defence ministry to secure the release of the traditional miners properties held by the Egyptian army.

(ST)