Khartoum, Cairo agree to investigate abuse against Sudanese

November 24, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour and his Egyptian counterpart Samih Shoukry Tuesday have agreed to form a joint committee to address the recent claims of harassments of Sudanese nationals in Egypt.

Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have recently escalated following accusations by Khartoum of mistreatment of Sudanese nationals in Egypt by police and security forces.

Last week, Sudan’s embassy in Cairo submitted a memo to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry inquiring about the killing of 15 Sudanese migrants who were trying to cross from Egypt into Israel and the recent surge of harassment of Sudanese citizens.

Sudan’s foreign ministry undersecretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai’m said following a meeting with the Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum Osama Shaltout the two ministers agreed during a phone conversation to take immediate measures to follow up on the conditions of nationals in both countries.

He added the two ministers agreed to form a committee headed by officials from both ministries with the participation of the concerned bodies in both countries in order to address claims of abuse of Sudanese nationals in Egypt as well as any problems that may arise in the future.

The two sides stressed the need to address the entire outstanding issues between the two countries in a friendly manner, pointing to the importance for promoting bilateral ties to achieve prosperity of both peoples.

Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said the two ministers agreed to cooperate to overcome the “media exaggeration” of the crisis.

He added the ministers underscored the need to be vigilant about attempts seeking to disturb ties between the countries besides continuing to provide the highest possible care for nationals of both nations in the other country.

DISCUSSIONS ON KILLING OF MIGRANTS

Meanwhile, Sudan’s justice minister Awad Hassan al-Nour Monday has discussed with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed al-Zand the killing of more than twenty Sudanese migrants attempting to infiltrate the Israeli borders from Sinai Peninsula.

Following the meeting, al-Nour expressed Sudan’s desire to cooperate with the Egyptian Judiciary in the domains of training and exchange of expertise, extending the invitation to al-Zand to visit Khartoum.

Al-Zand, for his part, said they agreed to the instant activation of previous agreements, saying the Egyptian Centre for Judicial Studies welcomes the Sudanese who seek to receive judicial training.

It is noteworthy that Sudan’s justice minister is currently visiting Egypt to participate in the meeting of the Arab ministers of justice.

(ST)