Sudan, Chad to build a railway at US$2b

A railway that will connect Chad and Sudan and expand up to Duala, Cameroon, will be built following a tri-partite agreement to be made between Chad and Sudan.

Funds for construction are expected to come from the Chinese Import and Export Bank, and the two countries will be sending a delegation to china with respect to this.

Sudanese ruling party official Hassan Bargo said the delegation would sign a contract with the bank in respect to this and added that the money would see the railway line expand from Nyala (western Darfur, Sudan) to Ndjamena (Chad) and then to Abahe-Adre up to Nyala (East region). The line will then extend from Ndjamena up to Douala, Cameroon.

Extension of the railway line will see transportation of goods from the landlocked Chad being transported at 120 km an hour. This is because it will link Chad to the Red Sea to connect with an already exeisting rail road that connects Red Sea in Eastern Sudan region to Nyala.

According to the official, the project will kick off in October this year.

It is said that the arrangement for the project were reached when Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail went to Chad to meet senior officials on the issue.

The two countries have agreed to stop supporting rebels against each other and establish full cooperation for economic and security interests.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir also attended the Chadian President Idriss Deby’s inauguration, a bid thought to show support of new relations.