Egypt and Sudan affirm mutual respect for each other's sovereignty after border incident

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Sudan affirmed, during a phone call, mutual respect for each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, following a border incident that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Sudanese miners. Both sides emphasized the depth of relations between the two countries, while Khartoum formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Sudanese counterpart Mohyeldin Salem affirmed on Monday mutual respect for each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and borders during a phone call between them. The call came after Khartoum formed an investigation committee into the killing of miners following shelling on the border with Egypt. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry reported that both sides stressed the relations of mutual respect that bind the two brotherly countries. The ministers emphasized the depth of Egyptian-Sudanese relations and the historical ties linking the peoples of the Nile Valley. They agreed on the importance of continuing to work on developing relations. Earlier, the head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a decision to form a fact-finding committee regarding the killing of miners on the Egyptian border on Saturday. Al-Burhan affirmed that protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens is an inherent responsibility of the state. The Emergency Lawyers Association announced that the death toll in the North Valley area inside Sudanese territory had risen to 72 miners, in a raid suspected to have been carried out by the Egyptian air force, without comment from Cairo.