Egypt’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that the country’s mission office in Wadi Halfa was communicating with “the Sudanese authorities to facilitate the unimpeded return of Egyptian citizens through the Sudanese land crossings.” The Ministry of Education has also contacted its educational mission in the country, whose staff accounts for around 151 teachers and administrators, to “check on their safety.” A statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stressed that the authorities were following up on the conditions of Egyptian citizens in Sudan, and “making every effort to ensure their safety.” It also published phone numbers to communicate with members of the country’s mission in the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa. The statement added: “The ministry continues, through its missions in Khartoum, Port Sudan and Wadi Halfa, to make all efforts and the necessary contacts to follow up on the conditions of the Egyptian community in Sudan during the crisis and to act quickly and effectively according to the developments.” In turn, the Egyptian Minister of Education and Technical Education, Dr. Reda Hegazy, contacted on Friday Khaled Nasreddine, head of Egypt’s educational mission in Sudan, and a number of members of the mission, to convey his wishes on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, and to check on their conditions in light of the recent developments. Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, underlined the need to give priority to preserving the Sudanese state institutions and preventing them from collapse. In remarks on Thursday evening, Shoukry reiterated that it was not permissible to deal with the state’s official bodies and unofficial entities on equal footing. The minister was speaking during a virtual ministerial meeting of the African Union on the situation in Sudan, with the participation of foreign ministers and senior officials of Sudan’s neighboring countries, Kenya, Djibouti, the permanent members of the Security Council, the African members of the Council, Norway and a number of Arab countries. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the European Union, and the Executive Secretary of IGAD. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting aimed at joining efforts to make a collective move that aims to end the military confrontations in Sudan.