Sudan and Egypt… From Familiarity to Strategic Partnership

Brigadier of Police (Ret.)
Omar Mohamed Othman

Relations between Sudan and Egypt stretch back centuries, deeply rooted in geography and a shared destiny. The most recent wave of Sudanese displacement, following the outbreak of war in April 2023, once again affirmed the depth of these ties and their entrenchment in both public sentiment and official policy.
A Sudanese in Egypt does not feel like a stranger; the cultural and social environments are remarkably similar, with shared customs, comparable traditions, and a unified fabric shaped by language and Islamic identity. For this reason, Sudanese refugees and migrants often feel immediately at home, as though Cairo and Giza had embraced them like family and neighbours. Even when isolated incidents occur, they remain exceptions that do not diminish the depth of the relationship between the two peoples.
This inherited sense of familiarity is not merely emotional—it can become a strategic asset if properly harnessed. The Sudanese community in Egypt possesses significant competencies and professional expertise that can serve as a real support base for both economies. It is important to integrate Sudanese business leaders and specialists into joint, productive, and logistical projects, particularly in agriculture and small and medium industries, to create shared value that benefits both countries.
On the social front, relations should evolve from coexistence to active cultural integration—through harmonising aspects of educational curricula, encouraging joint media production, and organising cultural activities that strengthen ties between the rising generations across the Nile Valley.
In this context, noteworthy initiatives have emerged, such as the Forum of Egyptian and Sudanese Think Tanks organised by the Masarat Centre for Strategic Studies in Cairo, under the theme: “The Role of Think Tanks in Confronting the Risks of Partition and Enhancing Sudan’s Stability.”
The forum launched the Masarat Initiative for Supporting Sudanese Researchers, aimed at empowering researchers and building a joint intellectual network that will help shape a new vision of Sudanese–Egyptian relations based on mutual interests and respect.
These initiatives affirm that joint intellectual work can serve as a genuine pathway towards a strategic partnership between the two countries. The discussions demonstrated that ideas—not slogans—are the real tools of development, and that relations between Sudan and Egypt must move from rhetoric to practical action, and from emotion to the intelligent management of partnership.
Sudan represents a strategic depth for Egypt, a promising market, and a vital source for food security, while Egypt possesses institutional experience that can support Sudan’s reconstruction and state-building efforts.
What binds the two nations is far greater than politics: it is history, the river, and a shared fate. In this regard, both sides need to work to revive and develop the Four Freedoms Agreement so that it becomes a comprehensive framework that serves the fundamental interests of both countries. As the Sudanese proverb says: “Your close neighbour is better than your distant kin.” For Sudan, Egypt is not merely a neighbour—it is a partner in security, water, and the future.
The challenge today is to transform this familiarity into a fully-fledged strategic partnership—through tangible economic, cultural, and institutional programmes that safeguard the interests of both peoples and enhance security and stability throughout the Nile Valley and the wider region.

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