Egypt and Kuwait agree to work together on the Egypt-Sudan railway line

 Egypt and Kuwait agreed on Friday to work together on a potential railroad linking agreement to build a rail connection between Egypt and Sudan. They signed a Dinars 750,000 agreement to prepare technical, economic, and environmental feasibility studies for the development of the railway system.

Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation signed the deal with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development at a meeting of financial institutions in the Arab world. The funding will be provided through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

The railway between Egypt and Sudan was first proposed in 2010. Similar proposals were made in 2018. The governments of both countries signed a joint cooperation agreement in November 2020 to carry out the feasibility studies. Preliminary studies for the railway line were completed in February. The railway line would connect the two countries’ rail networks. Reportedly, the line is to be built in two stages.

Why is it important for Egypt and Sudan? 

Egypt and Sudan are close allies. The feasibility studies are important for both countries. Both countries are united in opposition to Ethiopia’s mega-dam on the Blue Nile River. Earlier, they stressed the need to reach a legal solution to the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River. Sudan and Egypt also called for the international community to reach a legally binding deal. Egypt and Sudan fear that the dam might affect their water shares, especially in times of drought. Both countries are also trading partners.

Trains in Egypt are prone to crashes. The Egyptian government signed an agreement with the African Development Bank last year to improve its railway system to reduce dangerous crashes. Egypt is also unable to expand industries because of the lack of the necessary water. On the other hand, Sudan has been suffering since a military coup took power in October 2021.