Égypte-actualités

L’Egypte et le Soudan lancent des projets conjoints dans les secteurs agricoles, de l’élevage et des biocarburants, suite à la première visite officielle du président égyptien Mohamed Morsi à Karthoum.

D’ores et déjà, le Soudan, avec ses 32 millions d’habitants, importe une grande partie de ses produits alimentaires d’Egypte, notamment des fruits comme les oranges, des jus de fruits, des yaourts, etc. Pourtant, sa terre est réputée très fertile.

Pour inciter les Egyptiens à venir investir et travailler la terre, le Soudan va accorder des régimes spéciaux aux entreprises égyptiennes. D’ores et déjà, 2 millions de feddan (quelque 800 000 ha) sont accordés à des Egyptiens au nord de Khartoum pour créer un complexe de biocarburants, de produits pharmaceutiques entre autres produits. D’autre part, seront développés des projets agricoles, notamment de tournesol, et d’élevage sur plus de 200 ha un centre de recherche agricole afin de stimuler les investissements égyptiens.

Les autorités égyptiennes espèreraient notamment atteindre l’autosuffisance en huile de tournesol grâce à ces investissements.

Selon Reuters, l’entreprise étatique égyptienne de matières premières agricoles, Meditrade, et Food Industries Holding Company, auraient importé à eux deux au moins 110 000 t d’huile de tournesol au premier trimestre.

Ecofin

http://www.agenceecofin.com/investissement/0804-10080-l-egypte-et-le-soudan-lancent-des-projets-agricoles-conjoints

L'Egypte et le Soudan veulent doubler  leurs échanges commerciaux et investissements et renforcer leur coopération  dans plusieurs secteurs, a déclaré vendredi le président égyptien Mohamed Morsi  à la fin de sa première visite officielle au Soudan.    "Nous avons convenu de la nécessité de profiter de toutes nos ressources  pour parvenir à une intégration complète, en lançant des projets agricoles  communs pour la sécurité alimentaire et en doublant le volume des échanges  commerciaux et des investissements", a affirmé M. Morsi lors d'une conférence  de presse commune avec son homologue soudanais Omar el-Béchir.    (...)

Pour stimuler les investissements, les deux pays vont établir un parc  industriel de 2 millions de m2 spécialisé dans la production d'étanol et de  produits pharmaceutiques dans le nord de Khartoum, a expliqué M. Morsi.    "Nous avons conclu des protocoles pour développer le tourisme, et la zone  de la mer Rouge", a-t-il ajouté assurant que le différend territorial entre les  deux pays dans cette région serait résolu.    Les deux dirigeants ont aussi promis que les liaisons routières entre leurs  pays étaient sur le point de fonctionner à nouveau, et M. Béchir a évoqué une  connexion ferroviaire.   

Plus: http://ennaharonline.com/fr/news/19541.html

March 14, South Sudan and Egypt have inked five different agreements that seek to strengthen bilateral relations between them, and provide the latter investment opportunities in the new nation.

The five Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) were signed Thursday during a meeting between the Egyptian Prime Minister, Hisham Qandil and South Sudan’s Vice-President, Riek Machar in the capital, Juba.

Agriculture, health, animal resources and fisheries were some of the key sectors that the agreements covered.

The Egyptian PM, accompanied by a large delegation of investors, pledged strong commitment to the existing bilateral relations between the Arab nation and South Sudan. (...)

Also discussed, was the prospect of Egypt’s involvement in to the country’s private section, an area with huge potential, but largely undeveloped.

The Arab Republic of Egypt was one of the first countries in the region to recognise the independence of South Sudan in July 2011, which resulted from the outcome of the referendum on self-determination, held six months earlier.

More on:  http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article45837

The Sudanese government on Sunday expressed unhappiness with the reluctance of Egypt to implement the Four Freedoms agreement signed in 2004 despite a revolution that brought a new government to power.

The head of Egyptian affairs at the Sudanese foreign ministry Esam Awad said in press statements that Egypt remains unwilling to allow Sudanese males between the ages of 18-49 to benefit from the agreement.

Furthermore, Egypt wants its citizens to have freehold ownership rights which Awad says contradicts the lease law in Sudan.(...)

The Four Freedom Agreement guarantees to citizens from the two countries freedom of movement and residence, right to work and property. It was signed in Cairo by former president Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir on 18 January 2004.

Egypt under Mubarak feared a massive influx by refugees or even terrorists from Sudan if the accord was implemented.

On the decades-long border dispute over Halayeb triangle in the borders, Awad said that Sudan insists on its sovereignty over the area but added that the time is not ripe for discussing the matter because of the current political instability in Egypt.

He revealed that the opening of the border crossings has been delayed again at the request of Egypt which was originally scheduled for early March.

More on: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article45646

A number of Egyptian political parties believe that Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir is a liability to his country because of his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a senior opposition figure said today. (…)

Al-Sanoosi, said that he was told that Bashir is incapacitated as a president due to his inability to travel freely because of the risk that he might be arrested over the warrant which alleges his involvement in war crimes committed inSudan’s western region of Darfursince 2003.

Al-Sanoosi did not specify which Egyptian parties conveyed this message to him and whether that included the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).

Mohamed Mursi who had become the first elected president ofEgyptwas the FJP leader before resigning to assume what he said was a "national" role.

Despite the warrant, Bashir made two visits toEgyptsince Mursi came to power last year and officials inCairobrushed aside demands by rights groups to arrest him asserting that they are not ICC signatories and that African Union (AU) resolutions gives the Sudanese leader immunity.

The deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown by a popular revolution in early 2011, was one of the first leaders to receive Bashir after the first warrant was issued in March 2009.

The Supreme military council which took over from Mubarak in the interim also ignored the outstanding warrants against Bashir and allowed him to visit in 2011.

The PCP official said that senior leaders in the Egyptian parties told him thatSudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is responsible for the country’s partition into north and south in July 2011 and thus jeopardizingEgypt’s water security.

Egypt’s economy relies heavily on its tourism sector that has been struggling to survive since the uprising of 25 January and subsequent events in the country. Once a month DNE rounds up the most significant news relating to tourism to give you an overview of the efforts that are being made to bring tourists back to the country.

Ihab George, president of the General Group, announced he is working to establish a new company to help spur tourism in Sudan. He said agreements had been signed with a number of foreign companies to organise three trips a year from European nations. (Daily News Egypt)

More : http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/07/tourism-in-the-news-egyptian-company-al-general-looks-to-spur-investment-in-sudan/

Hatim Abd al-Latif, Egypt’s minister of transportation, said that a land port currently being constructed near the town of Qastal on the Egyptian-Sudanese border will be completed by January 2014.

He added that those living in the Aswan province, and specifically the city of Abu Simbel, would be given priority to work at the port. (...)

These facilities will be equipped with the most modern forms of technology to engage in searches and seizures, in addition to three electricity generators operating at 500 kilowatts. The port will also include wide areas of land which will be used to regulate the movement and flow of cars and heavy vehicles, in addition to a 280 metre-long, six metre-wide dirt road  set aside specifically for camel traffic.

The official Facebook page of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, has posted an apology for its publishing of a map of Egypt without Halayeb and Shalateen, areas which are claimed by both Egypt and neighboring Sudan.

The page had posted the map defining Egypt’s borders with Sudan, and showed the areas of Halayeb and Shalateen contained within Sudanese borders. The caption of the map alluded to economic projects that Egypt and Sudan agreed upon during the visit of President Mohamed  Morsy to Sudan.

The page said that an administrator had posted the map by mistake after retrieving it from an internet search.

More on: http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/fjp-apologizes-map-omitting-halayeb-and-shalateen

The head of the Egyptian Businessmen Association (EBA) Hussein Sabour said that the body is currently exploring potential investment opportunities in South Sudan and projected that the latter has the potential to be an economic powerhouse.

In statements carried by the government-owned Al-Ahram newspaper Sabour noted that the recent visit by Egypt’s Prime Minister Hisham Qandil to Juba was warmly and widely welcomed by the South Sudanese side and paved the way for Egyptian investments to flow into the country which he said lacks industrial infrastructure with an electrical energy production of about 4 megawatts compared to 28 megawatts in Egypt.

Sabour explained that businessmen from the two sides will exchange visits during the first half of this year. He pointed out that South Sudan is still a virgin state with huge potential for profits especially in sectors like construction and building materials, agriculture and trade.

The Egyptian businessman mentioned that homes in Juba are built of tinplates and there is no water or sanitation systems in place and thus any investment initiative will have a positive impact.

More on: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article45943

Freedom and Justice Party chief Katatni and an accompanying delegation visit Sudan and meet with top government officials, including President Al-Bashir Thursday to discuss economic ties.

 Dr. Mohamed Saad Katatni, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Chairman, left Cairo Thursday morning with a delegation comprising Dr. Amr Darrag, Chairman of the FJP’s Foreign Relations Committee, Walid Haddad and Dina Zakaria, for a one-day visit to Sudan on an invitation from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

The visit aims to discuss a number of important issues between the two countries, including ways to boost economic cooperation, plan joint economic projects, and increase trade and commodity exchange in areas of agriculture, industry and livestock production.

The visit also aims to discuss support for joint African action and strengthening relations between the two parties (FJP and NCP) and between other parties from all African countries, including joint efforts for the success of African Parties’ Conference initiative.

During the visit, Dr. Saad Katatni is scheduled to meet with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, his deputy Sayed Ali Osman, Chairman of the Sudanese National Council Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, and NCP Vice-President Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie.

Dr. Katatni will hold a press conference at the headquarters of the Sudan National Congress to announce the results and details of the visit. (Ikhwan web)

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil will visit South Sudan on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations and economic cooperation. Qandil will also discuss Nile water issues and joint electricity, water and transportation projects.

During his visit, Qandil is expected to sign several agreements to bolster cooperation between the two countries.

Moayad Fathallah, a diplomat at the Foreign Ministry, told the Shura Council on Monday that Qandil will sign a protocol to set up two Egyptian clinics to serve the people of South Sudan as well as cooperation agreements in agriculture and animal and fish resources.

Fathallah emphasized the strategic nature of ties with Sudan and South Sudan, adding that he is aware that the citizens of South Sudan have a feeling that Egypt favors relations with Sudan.

Meanwhile, Essam al-Erian, the head of the parliamentary bloc for the Freedom and Justice Party, said, "I hope the president will visit Somalia and Kenya since Egypt's influence in the African Horn has diminished."

Edited translation from MENA and Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt infependent)

Egypt intends to soon ratify the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and utilize a loophole that allows it to avoid apprehending Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir, an official said.

Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be charged by the Hague-based court since its inception in 2002 on ten counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.

He has avoided the risk of arrest to date mostly by travelling to non-ICC members though four African state parties allowed him to visit without taking him into custody.

Egypt, a frequent stop for Bashir in his travels abroad since the warrants, said that it will move ahead with ratification of the Rome statute.

Cairo signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has yet to ratify it, a process which required parliamentary review.

The Egyptian justice minister Ahmed Mekki made the disclosure on Tuesday at a workshop held at his ministry on International humanitarian law.

"Egypt will soon join the International Criminal Court treaty after reaching a solution to the most important obstacle preventing it from joining," Mekki was quoted as saying by the Turkey-based Anadolu news agency.

The justice minister asserted that his country "could sign a bilateral agreement with Sudan to overcome this obstacle for the sake of joining the court to put Egypt among the countries that respect human rights".(...)

"I blame the Egyptian foreign ministry for their decision to ratify the [Rome] treaty which was rejected by the Arab League besides ignoring the feelings of the brotherly Sudanese people which the court is working to threaten their security," Sabdarat said.

"Did Egypt solve all its internal and external problems to worry in the present time about joining the ICC?" he added.

More on: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article45596

Archaeologists excavating a site in Sudan have discovered 35 pyramids revealing fascinating links between the bygone Kingdom of Kush that once existed there and ancient Egypt.

The pyramids, which date back around 2,000 years, are smaller than most Egyptian examples with the largest being 22 feet in width and the smallest, likely constructed for the burial of a child, being just 30 inches.

The site in Sedeinga, northern Sudan, was part of the ancient kingdom of Kush which shared a border with Egypt and, later on, the Roman Empire.

One factor that has surprised the team was how densely concentrated the pyramids were. In a single area of 5,381 square feet, roughly the size of a basketball court, they found 13 pyramids.

Sadly the condition of the pyramids has suffered from the presence of a camel caravan route and the long passage of time and none of the top sections remain intact.

Capstones, depicting either a bird or a lotus flower on top of a solar orb, who have originally been placed at the top of the pyramids.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2275036/The-pyramids-Sudan-Archaeologists-reveals-links-ancient-Egypt-bygone-African-kingdom-Kush.html#axzz2KIgH28XA

At least 35 small pyramids, along with graves, have been discovered clustered closely together at a site called Sedeinga in Sudan.

Discovered between 2009 and 2012, researchers are surprised at how densely the pyramids are concentrated. In one field season alone, in 2011, the research team discovered 13 pyramids packed into  roughly 5,381 square feet (500 square meters), or  slightly larger than an NBA basketball court.

The biggest pyramids they discovered are about 22 feet (7 meters) wide at their base with the smallest example, likely constructed for the burial of a child, being only 30 inches (750 millimeters) long. The tops of the pyramids are not attached, as the passage of time and the presence of a camel caravan route resulted in damage to the monuments. Francigny said that the tops would have been decorated with a capstone depicting either a bird or a lotus flower on top of a solar orb.(Live Science)

More : http://www.livescience.com/26903-35-ancient-pyramids-sudan.html

Egypt and Sudan signed three agricultural agreements on Thursday aimed at resolving conflicts among Nile Basin countries.

The agreements were signed by Egypt's Central Agricultural Cooperative Union (CACU) and its Sudanese counterpart. The two countries agreed to establish a joint company to cultivate land, and launch the first farmer's union for Nile Basin nations.

The agreements are intended to expand to include nine other countries in the region in the coming years.

Amnesty International a réuni des informations sur une série d'agressions et d'actes de harcèlement visant des militants soudanais installés en Égypte, qui seraient le fait des autorités soudanaises.