Abdel Aty says his country outright refused any attempts to divide neighbouring Sudan [Sayed Hassan/Getty/archive photo]
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said on Friday that dividing Sudan is a “red line” for Cairo, as he revealed plans for a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza to be held in the Egyptian capital in late April.
His remarks follow last month’s move by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies, who signed a charter in Kenya declaring a “government of peace and unity” in rebel-controlled areas of Sudan. The move sparked criticism from Arab states and organisations, warning it could deepen divisions in the war-torn country.
The northeast African country, one of the poorest in the world, had already split in 2011, from which South Sudan emerged.
“We support the…state and its institutions in Sudan, and this is extremely important,” Abdel Aty told the Saudi Al-Sharq TV channel during an interview.
“We have grave concerns over Sudan’s unity, stability, territorial integrity, and non-division. This is a red line for us, and we cannot accept it under any circumstances,” he said.
The RSF have been at war with Sudan’s regular army for nearly two years, creating what the United Nations calls the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of thousands are believed to have been killed in the fighting.
While the RSF is tightening its grip on Darfur in the west and parts of the south, the army controls the north and east.
Egypt is concerned about spillovers from the conflict in neighbouring Sudan. It supports the army-backed government in Sudan but denies RSF accusations about Cairo’s involvement in the war.
Meanwhile, he welcomed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump opposing the displacement of Gaza’s population and confirmed that Egypt was working with regional and international partners to secure pledges for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Since January, Trump has floated controversial ideas about taking over the Gaza Strip and moving its inhabitants to countries like Egypt and Jordan – something the two latter states have refused.
An Arab-backed counterplan put forward by Egypt to reconstruct Gaza and avoid displacing its population was rejected by Trump and Israel.
But in response to a question on Wednesday at the White House, Trump said, “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza”.
“This is a very important development, and we appreciate the importance of this statement at this time,” said Abdel Aty, adding that the conference for reconstructing Gaza was planned for late April.
Regarding pledges from donor countries to begin rebuilding Gaza, Abdel Aty said Cairo was communicating with Arab and non-Arab regional and international partners.
“We certainly have some time to intensify communications and efforts, but now the efforts are focused on completing the concept paper and the conference sessions, because this conference will include unconventional ideas, creative ideas, with regard to workshops that address specific issues,” he told Al-Sharq.
In the reconstruction process, the foreign minister explained that there is a “role for the private sector, especially the Palestinian private sector, Arab companies, regional companies such as in Turkey, and international companies such as American and European companies”.
He said, “these many ideas are on the table and are being finalised, while donor countries and parties are simultaneously being approached to encourage them to make financial pledges”.
A fragile ceasefire has held in Gaza since 19 January, which has seen Hamas release dozens of Israeli and foreign captives it held in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including women and minors.
But both sides are in disagreement about the next stage of the truce deal, amid mediated talks.
While Hamas wants to move onto the next phase as per the agreement, Israel says it wants to extend the initial phase which ended on 1 March, threatening to resume its war on Gaza.
