Cairo looks forward to strengthening ties with Sudan

 On Thrusday,the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el Sisi will receive the chairman of the sudanese sovereignty council to discuss the Sudanese crisis and to strengthen the relation between the two countries across various fields. 

The meeting was held in ittihadiya palace. They discussed the developments in Sudan and the international and regional efforts aimed at ending the war and achieving stability in Sudan. The Egyptian president also stressed Egypt's rejection of any attempts that would threaten its security or form any parallel governing entity to the legitimate Sudanese government. 

But how were the diplomatic relations between the countries?

In April 2023, civil war occurred between Sudanese army and the parliamantry group known as rapid support force. The conflict killed tens of thousands and created a humanitarian crisis.This instability concerns Egypt because it affects its own security and border regions. 

Egypt helped the Sudanese civilians affected by the war by giving support for refugees. This is why there are many sudanese in Egypt. 

Both countries have agreed on projects to rebuild the infrastructure in Sudan and there are long term plans like a railway connecting between Egypt and Sudan to improve trade and movement once the situation stabilizes. 

But how was Sudan in Ancient Egypt?

North of Sudan was known as Nubia. It was rich in gold, ivory, cattles and slaves. This made it very important to Egypt. 

As years passed, the interaction changed from a peaceful trade to control. The nubians supplied Gold and Luxury goods while the Egyptians traded Grain and Crafts. Later Egypt wanted the direct control of Nubia's gold so the Egyptian army moved south. 

During Middle Kingdom, ancient egyptians built forts in Nubia and during the New Kingdom, Egypt fully controlled northern Sudan. So, temples were built and Egyptian culture spread. 

After Ancient Egypt weakened and Sudan grew strong. So the kingdom of Kush centered in Sudan invaded Egypt in 750BCE. They are known as the 25th dynasty and known as the black pharoahs. Famous black pharoahs are Piye, Taharqa and Shabaka.

Sudan worshipped many Egyptian gods especially Amun-Ra. They also wrote in hieroglyphs. They built pyramids in Sudan at Napata and Meroe. They are smaller but more numerous than Egypt. 

After the sudanese left Egypt, Kingdom of Kush remained powerful and their capital Meroe became an important city. They developed their own writting system and cultures. Sudan became a great civilization on its own. 

This history is important because it shows that both countries were deeply connected for thousands of years. The power flowed both ways actually. This shared history shaped the cultural identity in the Nile Valley till this day.

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