Will This Visit Succeed in Bridging the Gap Between Egypt and Sudan?

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will arrive in Cairo on Monday for an official visit to Egypt, according to the Egyptian Presidency.

Talks between President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and al-Bashir will tackle “brotherly relations in all fields between the two countries in all fields”, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement on Sunday.
In late January, the two leaders agreed on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Ethiopia to form a “quadratic consultation mechanism” that involves both countries foreign ministries and intelligence services to resolve outstanding issues.
Egyptian-Sudanese relations have witnessed ups and downs in recent months over an Ethiopian Nile dam and a border dispute between the two countries.
Last week, Sudan invited the foreign and irrigation ministers as well as chief of intelligence of Egypt and Ethiopia to hold meetings over the dam on April 4, for two days.
Cairo fears that the dam would affect its annual water share of Nile River.

Egypt-Sudan Relations Where to?

On February,28 2018,  Sudan filed an official complaint to the UN Security Council, accusing the Egyptian government of  pursuing its plans to acquire the disputed area of Halayeb.

On January,05 2018, Sudan has recalled its ambassador from Egypt for consultations, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, without giving details on why or how long he would stay

Egypt’s foreign ministry said it is evaluating the situation in order to take “appropriate action”.

Relations have been soured by disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb  Triangle border area, and over the use of the water from the River Nile that passes through their territories.

Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year.

Egypt-Sudan relations strained over Erdogan’s visit to Khartoum

Last December,2017, Egypt’s pro-government media vilified neighboring Sudan over its expanding ties with Turkey and Qatar, saying the three are conspiring against Egypt.

While the government has publicly remained silent, Egyptian media seized on a visit to Sudan earlier  by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a meeting in Khartoum between the chiefs of staff of Sudan, Turkey and Qatar, and renewed efforts by Khartoum to revive a longtime border dispute with Egypt.

Most views expressed in Egypt’s media reflect the thinking of the government or at least one of its key institutions. The criticism of Sudan and its longtime ruler Omar Bashir included personal insults and questioning the country’s statehood.

Tensions between Egypt and Sudan, which are bound by the Nile River and historic ties, often play out in the media, with the two governments keeping their distance.