Sudan’s requests Saudi mediation over Halayeb dispute with Egypt

October 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir has asked Saudi Arabia to mediate between his country and Egypt to resolve the dispute over Halayeb area disclosing that Riyadh played a role in securing the release of Sudanese miners from Egypt’s prisons.

The Halayeb triangle overlooks the Red Sea and has been a contentious issue between Egypt and Sudan since 1958, shortly after Sudan gained independence from British-Egyptian rule.
The area has been under Cairo’s full military control since the mid-1990’s following a Sudanese backed attempt on former Egyptian president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak’s life. Egypt brushed aside Sudan’s repeated calls for referring the dispute to international arbitration.

The region was listed amongst constituencies in Egypt’s current elections and earlier this week its residents, for the first time, voted for their own representative in Egypt’s parliament.

In statements published by al-Youm al-Tali newspaper on Wednesday, Bashir emphasized that Halayeb is a Sudanese territory, saying that his country wouldn’t abandon it.

He hoped to reach an amicable solution with Cairo on the issue, asking Saudi Arabia to play a role similar to the role it played recently in containing the crisis of the Sudanese miners who were being held in Egypt and were finally released.

“We hope that Saudi Arabia plays a role in promoting our efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement for Halayeb issue,” he said.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia is qualified to play that role because of its weight, history and distinct role, underscoring that Sudan has never thought to abandon its historic rights in Halayeb.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian government has released 20 Sudanese miners who were jailed after they unknowingly crossed the borders in search for gold.

Sudanese-Saudi relations have witnessed a thaw in recent months after years of tensions over Khartoum’s close ties with Tehran that saw Iranian warships dock several times in Port Sudan.

The Sudanese president said his country is sticking to the complaint it lodged to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Halayeb, noting the compliant is renewed annually for consideration.

“We are fully convinced that Halayeb is a Sudanese territory but we are keen to achieve a peaceful solution [for the crisis,” he said

“We are not seeking political escalation and the military escalation is not among our choices”, he added