Weeks after the Algeria and Egypt football game in Sudan, media talkshows and newspapers in Egypt continue to pose angry questions such as "why do they hate us?" In an attempt to study the situation we looked into the common history between Algeria and Egypt. Below we shed light on the history of Egyptian-Sudanese relations.
It is not unusual to hear of the special social and cultural relationship between Egypt and Sudan. After all, the two countries were governed as one for a long period of time. Indeed the mothers of both Mohamed Naguib – the first President of the Egyptian Republic – and Anwar el-Sadat were Sudanese, which emphasizes the fluidity of the border. Despite this however, the political relationship between the two countries has not always been amicable, particularly in the last thirty years.
The long relationship between Egypt and Sudan dates back to even before the Pharaonic period. In modern times however, it was the father of the modern Egyptian nation, Mohamed Ali, who re-established the connection. In 1820 Mohamed Ali ordered his son, Ibrahim, to invade Northern Sudan. This step had many aims, most notably the attempt to create a modern Egyptian army. 20,000 Sudanese men were captured and conscripted, and 17,000 died before the end of the year on the fatal trip to Northern Egypt. Sudan under Mohamed Ali’s ancestors was largely neglected, and a rebellion in Sudan led by Mohamed Ahmad Ibn Abdullah, also known as the Mahdi, secured the country independent rule for four years between 1885 and 1889.
Britain occupied Egypt in 1882 and became increasingly concerned with the interests of other imperial countries in the region. Fear of German, French and Belgian expansion throughout Africa resulted in British seizure of Sudan in 1899 when Lord Kitchner led the Battle of Omdurman. The country came to be known as ‘Anglo-Egyptian Sudan’ and would be ruled by a British Governor General who would be nominated by the Egyptians. In reality Sudan became little more than another one of Britain’s numerous colonies. On 22nd February 1922, a Treaty of Independence was signed between the Egyptians and the British leading to the 1923 Egyptian constitution. For Egypt the Treaty was in reality only semi-autonomy. Foreign Affairs, Egypt’s security (including the Suez Canal), the question of religious minorities and most importantly Sudan, would remain within the realm of the British. King Fuad was to become monarch of both Egypt and Sudan.
The coup d’état in Egypt in 1952 altered the union between the two countries. Both General Naguib, and later Gamal Abdel Nasser, agreed that Sudan would only gain full independence from Britain if the Anglo-Egyptian condominium was dissolved. On the 1st January 1956 Sudan gained its sovereignty as an independent nation.
Despite Sudan’s new-found independence, large divisions had long been established between the Northern Muslim regions of the country and the largely Christian and Animist South. Britain had during its rule enforced its tried and tested policy of "divide and rule." As in India and Egypt, amongst other countries, the British followed a two-pronged approach of encouraging separation amongst religious and ethnic communities; The largely Muslim North was divided from the Christian and Animist south. This was in contrast to the policy that had been enforced by Mohamed Ali, who had attempted to unify the regions – albeit for his own gains. The British justification of the division was the alleged spread of Malaria. Thus, from the 1920s, people south of the 8th parallel were unable to travel north, while those north of the 10th parallel were unable to travel south.
In 1955, just a few months before independence, the First Sudanese Civil War started. Southern Sudan feared domination by the Muslim and Egyptian-influenced north. The bloody fighting ensued for seventeen years, ending in 1972 when General Jafaar Nimeiri negotiated the Addis Abba Agreement (AAA).
During the ceasefire years Egyptian-Sudanese relations flourished. General Nimeiri and President Sadat became close friends, and Nimeiri was amongst the few regional leaders that supported Sadat signing the historic Camp David Peace accords in 1978. The relationship between the two was such that Nimeiri also acted as a peace broker in an attempt to rehabilitate Egypt into the Arab world. In 1983 the second Sudanese Civil War broke out after Nimeiri was coerced into renegotiating the conditions of the AAA, and implementing aspects of Shariah law, which incensed the Christian South. This resulted in the formation of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the south, a hugely important player in years to come.
The special relationship between Nimeiri and Egypt continued after he was overthrown in 1985, and he was granted political asylum by President Hosni Mubarak. Requests for extradition were denied, and by the time General Omar el-Bashir came to the fore in a bloodless coup d’état in 1989 Egyptian-Sudanese relations had soured. Opposition groups were allowed to operate from Egypt. Indeed Nimeiri continued to live in Heliopolis in Cairo until 1999. In 1990, the SPLA was invited for high profile talks in Cairo, which infuriated el-Bashir who in turn gave refuge to banned Egyptian Islamist groups that fled from prosecution. The turn of the decade proved to be wrought with sour relations, particularly when the Gulf war commenced and both countries aired strong contrary positions against one another.
In more recent years, political relations between Egypt and Sudan have improved, particularly following peace negotiations between divided North and South Sudan. In 2005 the Nairobi Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the SPLA and the Sudanese government. Ironically, the atrocities in Darfur have also served to improve Egyptian and Arab-Sudanese relations. While the world became aware of the crisis in 2003, conflict in the western Sudanese region had been simmering since the 1970s. Both Egypt and the Arab League have been slow to condemn the heinous actions of the Janjaweed, a government-backed militia, urging more co-operation on all sides instead. The Janjaweed, as well as various other rebel groups, are accused of mass murder, rape and rampage.
To date, the death toll is estimated at upwards of 300,000. Despite the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement, signed by the rebels and the government, the fighting continues. In 2008, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for el-Bashir. The Sudanese president is accused of sponsoring the Janjaweed. However, both the Arab league and the African Union have condemned the decision to indite el-Bashir. It seems that the special political relationship between Egypt and Sudan remains strong.
"Wakati wa mchezo wa mpira wa miguu kati ya Algeria na Misri, waandishi wa habari nchini Misri waliendelea kuuliza maswali kama vile ""Kwa nini wanatuchukia?""" Katika jaribio la kujifunza hali hiyo tulichunguza historia ya kawaida kati ya Algeria na Misri. Chini tunaangazia historia ya mahusiano ya Misri na Sudan. Si jambo lisilo la kawaida kusikia juu ya uhusiano wa pekee wa kijamii na kitamaduni kati ya Misri na Sudan. Baada ya yote, nchi hizo mbili zilitawaliwa kama nchi moja kwa muda mrefu. Kwa kweli mama wa wote wawili Mohamed Naguib <unk> Rais wa kwanza wa Jamhuri ya Misri <unk> na Anwar el-Sadat walikuwa Wasudani, ambayo inasisitiza mtiririko wa mpaka. Hata hivyo, uhusiano wa kisiasa kati ya nchi hizo mbili haukuwa mzuri, hasa katika miaka 30 iliyopita. Uhusiano wa muda mrefu kati ya Misri na Sudan ulianza hata kabla ya kipindi cha Farao. Hata hivyo, katika nyakati za kisasa, baba wa taifa la kisasa la Misri, Mohamed Ali, ndiye aliyeanzisha tena uhusiano huo. Mwaka 1820 Ali alimwamuru mwanawe Ibrahim kuvamia Sudan Kaskazini. Hatua hiyo ilikuwa na makusudi mengi, hasa jaribio la kuunda jeshi la kisasa la Misri. Wanaume 20,000 wa Sudan walikamatwa na kuandikishwa, na 17,000 walikufa kabla ya mwisho wa mwaka katika safari mbaya ya kwenda Misri Kaskazini. Sudan chini ya baba za Muhammad Ali ilisahaulika sana, na uasi nchini Sudan ulioongozwa na Mohamed Ahmad Ibn Abdullah, pia anajulikana kama Mahdi, ulihakikisha utawala wa nchi huru kwa miaka minne kati ya 1885 na 1889. Uingereza ilishambulia Misri mwaka 1882 na ikaanza kuhangaikia zaidi maslahi ya nchi nyingine za kifalme katika eneo hilo. Hofu ya kupanuka kwa Ujerumani, Ufaransa na Ubelgiji katika Afrika ilisababisha Uingereza kuchukua Sudan mnamo 1899 wakati Bwana Kitchener aliongoza vita vya Omdurman. Nchi hiyo ilikuja kujulikana kama <unk>Anglo-Egyptian Sudan<unk> na ingetawaliwa na Gavana Mkuu wa Uingereza ambaye angeteuliwa na Wamisri. Kwa kweli, Sudan ikawa moja tu kati ya koloni nyingi za Uingereza. Mnamo Februari 22, 1922, Mkataba wa Uhuru ulisainiwa kati ya Misri na Uingereza, na kuongoza kwa katiba ya Misri ya 1923. Kwa Misri Mkataba huo kwa kweli ulikuwa tu nusu-ujitegemeo. Mambo ya nje, usalama wa Misri (ikiwa ni pamoja na Mfereji wa Suez), suala la wachache wa kidini na muhimu zaidi Sudan, ingebaki ndani ya ufalme wa Uingereza. Mfalme Fuad angekuwa mtawala wa Misri na Sudan. Mapinduzi ya Misri mwaka 1952 yaliathiri uhusiano kati ya nchi hizo mbili. Naibu Mkuu wa jeshi la Sudan, Gamal Abdel Nasser, alidai kuwa Sudan ingekuwa huru kabisa kutoka kwa Uingereza ikiwa serikali ya Uingereza na Misri ingevunjwa. Tarehe 1 Januari 1956, Sudan ilipata uhuru wake kama taifa huru. Licha ya uhuru wa Sudan, kwa muda mrefu kulikuwa na mgawanyiko mkubwa kati ya maeneo ya Kaskazini ya Kiislamu ya nchi na Kusini ya Kikristo na Animist. Wakati wa utawala wake, Uingereza ilikuwa imetekeleza sera yake iliyokuwa imejaribiwa na kuthibitishwa ya "gawanya na kutawala". Kama ilivyo katika India na Misri, miongoni mwa nchi nyingine, Waingereza walifuata mbinu mbili za kuhimiza kutenganishwa kati ya jamii za kidini na kikabila; Kaskazini ya Kiislamu iligawanywa kutoka Kusini ya Kikristo na Animist. Hii ilikuwa kinyume na sera ambayo ilikuwa imetekelezwa na Mohamed Ali, ambaye alikuwa amejaribu kuunganisha mikoa <unk> ingawa kwa faida yake mwenyewe. Uhalali wa Uingereza wa mgawanyiko huo ulikuwa kuenea kwa malaria. Tangu miaka ya 1920, watu walioishi kusini mwa mstari wa nane wa latitudo hawakuweza kusafiri kuelekea kaskazini, huku wale walioishi kaskazini mwa mstari wa kumi wakishindwa kusafiri kusini. Mwaka 1955 miezi michache tu kabla ya Sudan kupata uhuru, vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe vilianza. Sudan Kusini iliogopa kutawaliwa na Kaskazini ya Kiislamu na ya Misri. Vita hivyo vilidumu kwa miaka 17 na kumalizika mwaka 1972 wakati Jenerali Ja'far alivyanzisha makubaliano ya Addis Ababa. Katika miaka ya kusitisha mapigano, mahusiano ya Misri na Sudan yaliendelea vizuri. Nimeiri na Sadat walikuwa marafiki wa karibu na alikuwa miongoni mwa viongozi wachache wa mkoa waliomsaidia Sadat kusaini mkataba wa amani wa Camp David mwaka 1978. Kwa sababu ya uhusiano wao, Nimeiri aliamua kuanzisha uhusiano wa amani na Misri. Mwaka 1983 vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe vya Sudan vilipotokea, Nimeiri alilazimishwa kujadili tena masharti ya makubaliano ya amani na kutekeleza sheria za Sharia, jambo ambalo lilikasirisha Wakristo wa Kusini. Hii ilisababisha kuundwa kwa Jeshi la Ukombozi la Watu wa Sudan (SPLA) kusini, mchezaji muhimu sana katika miaka ijayo. Nimeiri alishirikiana na Misri kwa muda mrefu baada ya kuangushwa madarakani mwaka 1985 na kupewa hifadhi ya kisiasa na Rais Hosni Mubarak. Maombi ya kuachiliwa kwa Omar al-Bashir yalikataliwa na wakati ambapo alitangazwa kuwa kiongozi wa jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi la jeshi. Vikundi vya upinzani viliruhusiwa kufanya kazi kutoka Misri. Nimeiri aliendelea kuishi Heliopolis, Cairo hadi mwaka 1999. Katika mwaka 1990 SPLA ilialikwa kwa mazungumzo ya juu katika Cairo, ambayo alikasirisha al-Bashir ambaye kwa upande wake alitoa kimbilio kwa vikundi vya Kiislamu vya Misri vilivyopigwa marufuku ambao walikimbia mashtaka. Mabadiliko ya miaka kumi yalithibitika kuwa na mahusiano mabaya, hasa wakati vita vya Ghuba vilipoanza na nchi zote mbili zilitoa msimamo mkali wa kupingana. Katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, mahusiano ya kisiasa kati ya Misri na Sudan yameboresha, hasa kufuatia mazungumzo ya amani kati ya Sudan Kaskazini na Sudan Kusini. Mkataba wa amani wa Nairobi ulisainiwa mwaka 2005 na serikali ya Sudan. Kwa kushangaza, ukatili katika Darfur pia umehudumu kuboresha mahusiano ya Misri na Kiarabu-Sudan. Wakati dunia ilipoanza kutambua mgogoro huo mwaka 2003, mgogoro katika eneo la magharibi mwa Sudan ulikuwa ukiwaka tangu miaka ya 1970. Misri na Umoja wa Mataifa pia wamekuwa wakishtakiwa kwa hatua za Janjaweed, kundi la wanamgambo linaloungwa mkono na serikali, na kuwahimiza kushirikiana zaidi. Janjaweed, pamoja na vikundi vingine mbalimbali vya waasi, wanashtakiwa kwa mauaji ya wingi, ubakaji na uharibifu. Hadi sasa, idadi ya watu waliokufa imekadiriwa kuwa zaidi ya 300,000. Mkataba wa amani wa Darfur wa mwaka 2006 uliosainiwa na serikali na waasi wa Darfur, umefikia mwisho mwaka huu. Mahakama ya Kimataifa ya Uhalifu (ICC) ilitoa amri ya kumkamata al-Bashir mnamo mwaka 2008. Rais wa Sudan anashtakiwa kuwa msaidizi wa Janjaweed. Hata hivyo, Ligi ya Kiarabu na Umoja wa Afrika wamekataa uamuzi wa kumshtaki el-Bashir. Inaonekana kwamba uhusiano maalum wa kisiasa kati ya Misri na Sudan unabaki kuwa na nguvu.