An air of mistrust and intrigue plague the Egyptian-Sudanese border regions, for decades, the Halayeb-Shalateen Triangle has been a source of entrenched political difference and conflict. Caught in the crossfire are border communities who are determined to push for regional stability, however, tensions continue to clout relations between Cairo and Khartoum. Tensions over border security and regional stability had prompted sudden public interest and attention on the issue of Halayeb and Shalateen. According to a report by the Carnegie Middle East Centre “The Egypt-Sudan Border: A Story of Unfulfilled Promise”(2020), a rapid increase in illicit trafficking following the Sudanese uprising of 2018-2019, and erratic changes in Sudanese policy concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) raised alarm bells in Egyptian media outlets and in the public sphere. An Account of Mutual Distrust The Halayeb and Shalateen Triangle comprises an area of 20,000 square kilometres and includes several towns, notably Halayeb, Abu Ramad, Ras al-Hadariya, Marsa Hamira and the town of Abraq. The area is inhabited by Nubians, as well as nomadic tribes, namely El Ababda and Bashriyya accounting for a population of 27,000. A once isolated and remote region in…
Halayeb and Shalateen: Caught in the Crossfire of Egyptian-Sudanese Relations
March 6, 2022
