Sudan and Egypt have agreed to move forward with a project to rehabilitate the Jebel Aulia Dam, one of Sudan’s most important water infrastructure facilities, after it sustained damage during the war. According to Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the rehabilitation work is expected to take approximately 16 months.
The agreement was reached during a joint meeting between officials from Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and an Egyptian technical delegation, who discussed the technical aspects and implementation plan for rebuilding the dam, located on the White Nile, south of Khartoum.
Constructed in the 1930s, the Jebel Aulia Dam plays a vital role in regulating water flows and includes a bridge connecting the two banks of the Nile, making it a key facility for both transportation and water resource management.
In a statement, the ministry said the participants agreed to construct a temporary bridge during the first four months of the project to ensure uninterrupted traffic, while the full rehabilitation is scheduled to be completed within approximately 16 months from the project’s commencement.
The ministry added that the plan includes conducting consultancy studies, preparing technical specifications, developing bills of quantities, and involving universities, engineering experts, and consultants throughout the implementation process.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Daw Al-Bait Abdelrahman Mansour, said the dam had sustained significant damage during the war. He stated that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had used the structure as a crossing for heavy military vehicles and carried out improper operational procedures, resulting in damage to several key components, including the navigation lock and the movable bridge.
Although the ministry did not announce a specific date for the start of construction, it confirmed that the project forms part of ongoing Sudanese-Egyptian cooperation to rehabilitate infrastructure damaged by the war.
