Has Cairo thwarted Mandela's mediating efforts between Sudan and Uganda?
Sudan-Egypt, Analysis, 9/5/1997

In spite of the fact that Cairo has been away from the details of South African President Nelson Mandela's mediating efforts between Sudan and Uganda to stop the deterioration in their relations and from Mandela's mediations between Bashir and John Garang, there has been verbal warfare between Cairo and Khartoum. Sudanese officials linked the Sudanese president's visit to South Africa in order to request its mediation with Uganda with the visit of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa to Pretoria and his meeting with president Mandela and the highest officials in South Africa within Mousa's African tour.

A Sudanese government spokesman said he believed that the aim of Mousa's visit is to thwart the Sudanese president's visit and to keep the war in the Sudanese south ablaze. The Sudanese officials held Cairo responsible for the failure of the negotiations between El Bashir and Garang and considered Cairo's moves an intervention in Sudan's internal affairs.

Cairo expressed its worries regarding the negotiations with Garang which included the idea of the south's right of autonomy which Egypt opposed as it considers the Sudanese south as a border to its national security in addition to Egypt's concern to keep the Sudan undivided.

On the other hand the Sudanese government also held Garang responsible for the failure, as it believes that Garang is preparing the south forces for a massive attack on some cities in the south especially those surrounding Goba and Southern Kardafan, such an attack that Uganda will support. Garang explained that his rejection of the mediation and his refusal to meet El Bashir within a meeting attended by Mandela in Pretoria is based on his belief that this meeting will only serve El Bashir's schemes.

Actually this matter has nothing to do with the tensions between Egypt and Sudan, as Egypt has declared its reservations toward the agreement which El Bashir accepted. Egyptian officials hold El Bashhir's-El Turabi Regime responsible for the tensions between the two countries since the coup d'etat that occurred in Khartoum in 1989. The private and historical relations between Egypt and Sudan has been subjected to many crises during the El Bashir- El Turabi regime. Such tensions accumulated over time to reach their current state.

The Sudanese regime exceeded all limits when it was involved in the attempt to assassinate president Mubarak in Addis Ababa, and when it seized Egyptian possessions in Sudan like the irrigation offices and the premises of the Cairo University branch in Khartoum. This is in addition to the differences between the two countries concerning the Gulf war and the skirmishes regarding the borders and the exchanged charges of hosting terrorism. All these factors helped push the relations between the two countries to their lowest point.

Amidst these tensions, the Sudanese foreign minister declared that Sudan is ready for negotiations with Egypt as it is high time to forget about exchanging charges and to discuss all differences. On the other hand Cairo believes that the differences between the two countries have to do with security not with politics, which was proven by the attempt to assassinate President Mubarak. The tensions between Egypt and Sudan since 1989 reflect the extent of animosity between the two countries presently.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt: Sudanese claim about Halaib is wrong   (9/3/1997)
  Sudanese foreign minister trying to clear the atmosphere with Egypt   (8/28/1997)
  Sudanese regime honors no pledges, Merghani says   (8/26/1997)

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