February 7, 2011

Beja lands expropriated?

In an extended essay outlining the outcomes of damming the Nile River, the author points out many problems. Some of the situation rests with the physical aspects of building dams - the land is flooded, but some are political - the strategy of relocating people but not developing services for them is damaging to society.

The critical essay examines options to the water agreements that ensures that Sudan allows water to flow north - Egypt is already stressed to meet the needs of 80 million people who are dependent on the Nile River. Egypt needs more land to grow crops for its people. By making deals with Sudan, it could gain access to cropland, and thus food security. Would Egyptian peasants be resettled onto Sudanese land?

A couple of unsubstantiated sentences challenge the life of Beja in parts of the east.

"In the case of the Beja people of eastern Sudan, it was announced lately that lands in the delta of al-gash and Tokar are being expropriated from the Beja under pretext of not being able to pay back loans they received from the Agriculture Bank, and then handed over to Egyptian companies."

http://theblacklistpub.ning.com/profiles/blogs/sudan-update-the-referendum

COMMENT: The Gash river flows north through Kassala into the desert, from the Eritrean highlands.
The Tokar delta is just north of the Eritrean border by the Red Sea. The Baraka River flows northeast out of the Eritrean highlands, but dries up in the delta. Both regions are very fertile, and support extensive cropping of sorghum, millet, fruits and vegetables.

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