On Tuesday, a US delegation arrived in Sudan to meet with the country’s finance minister.
The economy and the tensions surrounding Ethiopia’s Nile Dam project were discussed.
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan are currently negotiating to resolve a years-long conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is being constructed on the Nile River’s main tributary.
Egypt and Sudan are concerned about the effect on their water supplies.
Sudanese Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim said the US senators “are playing a role now in the issue of the Renaissance Dam and the issue of borders (between Sudan and Ethiopia)” during a press conference with Sen. Chris Coons.
Meanwhile Coons said Sudan’s finance minister “has made some strong decisions in terms of economic policy.”
“We have just met to discuss the ways in which Sudan is making good progress, steady progress in re-entering the global financial system, getting the forgiveness of all debts arrearages, getting resolution of challenges that Sudan has faced in terms of international investment and we are excited, optimistic about the future.”
The new developments on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border were also addressed by the two parties.
Large swaths of agricultural land in the al-Fashqa district, which Ethiopian farmers have cultivated for years, are at the center of the tensions.
The conflict has been intensified by Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, which has culminated in an influx of refugees into Sudan.
Relations between the United States and Sudan have recently improved.
The countries signed a bilateral claims settlement in November to address charges that Sudan’s previous regime sponsored terrorist activities.
The US Congress delegation is in Sudan for a three-day visit and will consult with the country’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Educator, writer and legal researcher at Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy.