Hot Issues Top Agenda of Cairo–Khartoum Talks
Report – Sudan Events
The foreign ministers of Sudan and Egypt expressed shared interest during their recent meeting in the American proposal to resume mediation over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and agreed to accelerate the implementation of ongoing Egyptian projects inside Sudan.
A letter sent by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 16 to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi formed of the discussions held in Cairo on February 3, in which Trump proposed reviving the U.S. role in mediating talks over Nile water sharing.
Although the meeting was officially dedicated to discussing “ways to support efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement to the Sudanese crisis,” the two ministers also agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination in the face of what they described as unilateral Ethiopian measures, and to view positively the U.S. offer of mediation.
Trilateral negotiations between Cairo, Addis Ababa, and Khartoum over the GERD have been stalled since Egypt withdrew from the talks in December 2023. Tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt further escalated following the inauguration of the Ethiopian dam on September 9, 2025, a project Cairo has opposed for years.
During the government of Abdalla Hamdok (2019–2022), Sudan’s position tilted toward closer alignment with Ethiopia. However, the current military authorities have moved closer to Cairo, which is seen as a key ally amid the ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces, now approaching its third year.
Several observers believe Ethiopia may also respond to Trump’s call, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seeks to bolster his international credibility at a time when internal conflicts in the Oromia and Amhara regions, along with continued instability in Tigray, threaten the path toward parliamentary elections scheduled for June 1.
Nevertheless, any U.S.-led mediation would remain a transitional step, as a final agreement among the three countries must ultimately be signed under the auspices of the African Union, whose membership of Sudan has been suspended since the October 25, 2021 coup.
In addition to the GERD file and security developments linked to the advance of the Rapid Support Forces and their allies in the Blue Nile region, the two ministers discussed ongoing Egyptian projects in Sudan, particularly in the services and healthcare sectors.
The talks also addressed the electricity interconnection project between the two countries through the “Toshka 2 – Wadi Halfa” link, which aims to supply surplus electricity generated at Egypt’s Toshka power station to the Sudanese grid, with a capacity of up to 300 megawatts.
The Cairo meeting further allowed for the completion of final preparations to reopen the Wadi Halfa river port on the shared border, scheduled for late February or early March, after a six-year closure. The move is intended to accelerate the return of residents, at a time when fewer than one-third of the 1.5 million Sudanese refugees in Egypt have returned home so far.
