The Sudanese parliament has rejected Egypt’s decision to appoint a chairman for the local council in the disputed Halayeb area, saying Sudan’s sensible dealing with the issue does not mean it accepts the status quo.
The Halayeb triangle overlooks the Red Sea and has been a contentious issue between Egypt and Sudan since 1958, shortly after Sudan gained independence from British-Egyptian rule.
The area has been under Cairo’s full military control since the mid-1990’s following a Sudanese backed attempt on former Egyptian president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak’s life. Egypt brushed aside Sudan’s repeated calls for referring the dispute to international arbitration.
In February, the Egyptian government issued a decree turning Halayeb into a city that encompasses the villages of Abu-Ramad and Ras-Hedreba.
The Egyptian minister of local development, Adil Habeeb, on Friday appointed a chairman for the local council in Halayeb city.
The head of the parliamentary subcommittee on foreign affairs, security and defence, Malik Hussein, said the Egyptian escalation of the issue and its decision to appoint a chairman for the local council of the area is unacceptable, underscoring that Halayeb is part of the Sudanese territory.
He emphasized that the dispute will be resolved through international laws, saying his country is keen to maintain strong ties with Egypt.
“But that neither means abandoning Halayeb nor implies silence on the issue,” he added.
Hussein stressed that Sudanese executive organs will undertake the necessary measures to respond to the Egyptian move.
The MP noted that the Egyptian move was likely a response to the recent decision of the Sudanese National Elections Commission (NEC) to include Halayeb in the geographical constituencies for the 2015 elections.
He called for maintaining calm towards any provocations from the Egyptian side, saying Halayeb issue is a legal and logical not a public opinion one.
