Egypt Ends Crisis of 12 Drivers Stranded in Northern Sudan

On Thursday, the Egyptian authorities managed to end a crisis of 12 drivers who were kept in the northern Sudanese city of Dongola.

In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with Egyptian embassy in Khartoum and the Egyptian office in Wadi Halfa, said that the 12 drivers were successfully repatriated from Sudan after they were kept in Dongola due to a dispute that erupted between an Egyptian merchant, the owner of the cargo that they were transporting, and a Sudanese merchant.

It added the Egyptian office in Wadi Halfa had made many contacts with the concerned Sudanese authorities to check on the Egyptian drivers before being repatriated through the land port of Qastal.

Notably, a Sudanese delegation arrived in Cairo today to meet a number of Egyptian senior officials, according to the Al-Arabiya news website.

They are set to discuss the ongoing dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia over the border issue.

On Wednesday, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that an Ethiopian military aircraft penetrated Sudan’s borders in a ‘dangerous and unjustified escalation’.

In a short statement posted on ‘Twitter’, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said, “In a dangerous and unjustified escalation, an Ethiopian military aircraft penetrated the Sudanese-Ethiopian borders, which could have dangerous consequences and cause more tension in the border region.”

The ministry condemned this escalation, noting that such hostilities would have ‘their dangerous repercussions on the future of bilateral ties between the two countries and on security and stability in the Horn of Africa.’

On Tuesday, Ethiopia accused Sudan of violating its borders after monitoring some movements within the border region, calling for negotiations to address the crisis.