The head of Sudan's border commission, Moaz Tango, said that the Egyptian presence in Halayeb is based on oppression and force, not on logic or proper negotiation, as he put it.
In an interview with the Sudanese Al-Saiha newspaper, Tango added that the Egyptians are confident and certain that they do not have a historical or legal right in that region.
The Sudanese official indicated that the authorities of his country are aware of Egyptian and foreign companies carrying out extraction work for gold and other minerals in the Halayeb area.
He explained that Khartoum had warned these companies that they would be prosecuted before international courts on charges of exploiting Sudanese wealth, which is considered a crime according to international law, as he put it.