Egypt's Sisi denies Bashir's allegations of backing Sudan rebels

Egypt's president has denied accusations made by his Sudanese counterpart that allege Cairo has been supplying Darfur rebels with military equipment. 

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday rejected allegations made by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that Egyptian armoured vehicles were being used by Sudanese rebels.

"We wouldn't conspire against anyone, especially not our family and neighbours," Sisi said during a press conference with visiting Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern.

"Egyptian policy is constant, unchanging, and will not change; we do not interfere in the affairs of others," Sisi asserted.

He added that Egypt was practicing "honourable politics at a time when honour is rare."

Bashir said on Tuesday in a televised speech that Sudanese forces had repelled two attacks in the Darfur region on Saturday and confiscated Egyptian-made armoured vehicles.

Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, lamented that Egypt had not supported the Sudanese government's long-standing battle with rebels "even with one bullet".

There has been a civil war between the Sudanese government and a number of rebel groups in Darfur that has continued since 2003, leaving more than 300,000 people dead and around 2.5 million others displaced internally, the UN reports.

A ceasefire was agreed by two rebel groups last month in Paris, although one faction, the Abdul Wahid group, has not signed up to the agreement.

Fighting has flared in the region regardless, with an increased number of altercations between Janjaweed fighters and the Sudanese army.

Tension has grown between the neighbouring North African countries, mainly fuelled by a border dispute over a patch of territory on the Red Sea coast known as the Halayeb Triangle.

Egypt occupied the 25,000-square-kilometre area in 1995, during a low point in relations between the two countries.

Khartoum has long said Egypt has been illegally occupying the mineral-rich border region.

Last week, Bashir said he had been silent in the face of the occupation of the Halayeb Triangle to honour the longstanding relationship with Egypt.


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