Egypt and Bir Tawil: Egypt's Position on the Border

Egypt's position is that the 1899 Condominium Agreement fixed the international border at the 22nd parallel, and that the 1902 line was only ever an administrative convenience within a single colonial system. On that view, everything north of the parallel, including the Halaib Triangle and the Wadi Halfa Salient, is Egyptian, and everything south of it, including Bir Tawil, is Sudanese.

Egypt has administered the Halaib Triangle since the 1990s and has invested in towns, roads, and services there, including around Halaib and Abu Ramad. Its administration of Halaib is the practical foundation of its position, and claiming Bir Tawil would contradict it.

North of Bir Tawil lies Egypt's Aswan Governorate. The region includes Aswan city, the Aswan High Dam, Lake Nasser, and the temples of Abu Simbel, relocated in the 1960s to save them from the rising lake. The desert between Lake Nasser and the Red Sea is sparsely populated, and Egypt treats its border area with Sudan as a restricted security zone, requiring permission for travel into it.

The Sovereign Empire of Brendania claims Bir Tawil only, the territory Egypt itself places outside its borders, and makes no claim to Halaib or any land north of the 22nd parallel. The Emperor has written to Egypt's diplomatic representatives to open relations concerning the territory. The Crown's policy toward Egypt is peaceful engagement and respect for Egypt's laws governing its border zone.