African conflict impedes construction of Egypt-Chad highway

The Egypt-Chad highway project, which would become a crucial strategic transport and trade corridor to connect North Africa to the Sahel between Egypt, Libya, and Chad, has stalled because of the conflicts in Libya, Chad, and now Sudan’s Darfur region, The New Arab plus agencies reported on November 27th.

In August this year, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Transport for Road Transport had announced that the highway construction would begin, covering 400 kilometres of Egyptian territory, 390 kilometres in Libya, and finally 930 kilometres across Chad.

Egypt was able to finish about 15 per cent of the highway within its own borders, despite the financial and security complications. An unnamed Egyptian source said that many state bodies consider the project’s timing unfavourable, as active conflicts are occurring along the route in Libya, Chad, and Darfur.

The original proposal in the project was to pass through Sudan, but after the Sudan civil war broke out in April 2023, Cairo had no choice but to divert the highway through Libya and then into Chad. But currently it seems that this alternative route is also unstable.

The Egypt-Chad highway was Cairo’s vision of an economic corridor. Chad and Western Sudan are key markets for Egypt’s livestock supply, and imports worth about a billion dollars per year. Egypt continues to observe the region and will continue the progression of the highway if the situation allows, the source said.

But peace alone does not make roads, because the cost of building a highway through dune-covered desert is expensive. The terrain requires work and maintenance throughout. Currently, Egypt imports its meat from Chad in military aircraft because of the complex terrain and delicate security situation.

From Khalifa Haftar’s deployments to the movement of tribal armed groups, and Russia’s presence near the tri-border, it is “not an environment for building an international highway,” the source said.

Whereas in Chad, the northern stretch of the highway is exposed to the repercussions of Sudan’s war. Chad is also riddled with political tensions of its own.

Another cause for concern is that pro-Haftar forces have given fuel to the RSF, which could suggest that the Egypt-Chad highway could become a route that facilitates supplies for the Sudanese war.

Some describe the road as a “continental trade artery,” but considering stability is essential, Sudan’s war, Libya’s fragmented instability, and political unrest in Chad hardly make the perfect recipe for an international highway.

The New Arab plus agencies, Maghrebi.org