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Sudan
Egypt
In 1991 Sudan's relations with its most important neighbor were
strained. This was partially a legacy of Cairo's close support
of Nimeiri prior to 1985. Sudan was one of the few Arab countries
that backed Egypt in 1979 after Anwar as Sadat signed a separate
peace agreement with Israel, and Nimeiri had taken a leading role
in the early 1980s to help rehabilitate Egypt's position with
the rest of the Arab world. Nimeiri was in Egypt en route home
from a trip to the United States when his government was overthrown.
Egyptian president Husni Mubarak granted Nimeiri political asylum
and rejected Sudan's subsequent calls for his extradition. Beginning
in 1986, relations gradually improved and they were relatively
normal by the time the Bashir coup occurred.
Relations with Egypt deteriorated steadily after the RCC-NS came
to power. The Bashir regime was convinced that Egypt supported
opposition politicians, several of whom, including Mirghani, were
granted political asylum; the NDA was also allowed to operate
in Egypt. Mirghani and other leaders, including Nimeiri, issued
regular criticisms of the government from the relative safe haven
of Cairo. The RCC-NS responded by providing asylum to Egyptian
Islamic activists against whom were pending various criminal charges
and by encouraging NIF supporters residing in Egypt physically
to assault the organization's opponents. Relations were further
strained early in 1990 when the Egyptian government invited a
high-ranking SPLM delegation to Cairo. Even before the Persian
Gulf crisis erupted in August, Mubarak accused Sudan of stationing
Iraqi missiles on its soil and aiming them at the Aswan High Dam,
a charge strongly denied by the RCC-NS. Relations only worsened
after Sudan refused to join the Arab coalition against Iraq. As
of mid-1991, Egypt had not returned its ambassador to Khartoum
and was openly providing financial support to the DUP, the SPLM,
and other opposition groups.
Data as of June 1991
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