Egypt changes administration in disputed territory

Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi issued a ministerial decree administratively separating two towns in the Halayib triangle, a disputed area on the Egyptian-Sudanese border near the Red Sea, on Tuesday. 

Shalateen, the main town, was the administrative capital of the territory, and Halayib is the town that is now a separate administrative entity. 

In January the Egyptian Foreign Ministry responded to a new claim by a Sudanese minister that the triangle was Sudanese territory.

During former President Mohamed Morsi’s visit to Sudan in April 2013, rumors circulated that he would hand over control of the triangle to Sudan.

The move to separate the two towns could be intended to put to rest rumors over Egyptian intentions to forgo sovereignty over the area, and may also be in preparation for development projects that include expanding tourism and exploiting natural resources as well as connecting utilities to other areas.

The Cabinet recently set up a committee to oversee these projects.

The Halayib triangle has been disputed since Egyptian independence in 1952. The Egyptian government has administered the area since, periodically sending in troops to assert its authority. Military personnel were deployed in the area this past January to secure voters during the constitutional referendum.

The area is sparsely populated, with only a few towns. It also is home to the Gabal Elba National Park, which is home to Egypt’s only tropical environments.

But it is also an area relatively unexplored by energy companies. Sudan granted an exploration contract to a Canadian company in 1992 but the company backed out until the border issue was settled.