The Truth Perspective: Restoring Irrigation Documents: A National Security Matter
Ibrahim Shglawi
In times of conflict, the danger lies not only in human and material losses, but also in the erosion of the state’s institutional memory. When it comes to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, the discussion is not limited to infrastructure or technical files, but rather to a sovereign institution closely tied to national security, due to its role in managing the most sensitive and strategic resource in the country: water. The loss of the archives of this ministry, whether entirely or partially, represents a major administrative failure, as well as a real threat to the state’s ability to plan, safeguard its rights, and negotiate effectively on regional issues.
In this article, we attempt to explore the dimensions of this issue, from the perspective of what the archive represents as a decisive element in the decision-making system, and the challenges imposed by the current reality in preserving the technical and institutional legacy, amid internal conflicts and increasing regional pressures on water resources.
The Ministry of Irrigation in Sudan is the legitimate heir to a century of planning based on the equation: land, water, and sovereignty. Since the early days of the Gezira Scheme in the 1920s, to the construction of major dams such as Merowe, Sitteet, and Roseries, this ministry has played a central role in transforming Sudan into a permanent candidate to be the food basket of the Arab world and Africa. The archive that preserves the details of this experience is considered a national, political, economic, and engineering memory that is indispensable for rebuilding.
When I was responsible for the Media Coordination Council and spokesperson for the ministry between 2017 and 2019, we fully understood this value. Therefore, we launched a large-scale documentation project in cooperation with the Dams Unit and the Ministry’s Information Center, which included digital and paper archiving of all technical documents, including those related to the Irrigation Agency in Wad Medani and the history of irrigation in Sudan, as well as a significant portion of the archive of the Gezira and Managil projects, which dates back nearly one hundred years of continuous work. This was a proactive effort to protect the state’s memory in light of the growing political fragility we were witnessing. Thank God, the project was successful.
Today, following the statements made by the Minister of Irrigation, Engineer Dawa Al-Bait Abdul-Rahman, through “SUNA” about the loss of essential documents due to the destruction of ministry facilities by rebel militias, the question arises: Did those documents survive? And if not, how will the state restore its institutional mind in one of the most sensitive sectors?
What makes this question more urgent is that Sudan is moving within a regional context where competition over water resources in the Nile Basin is expected to intensify. The conflict is gradually shifting from a technical dispute to a regional sovereignty struggle, particularly with the ongoing Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis. Sudan has failed so far to reach satisfactory agreements with the Ethiopian side regarding the operation and management of the dam in a way that guarantees Sudan’s historical share and protects its agricultural, environmental, and economic interests. This failure, in large part, requires strengthening our negotiating position through possessing a strong and comprehensive database that reveals potential damage and suggests scenarios for dealing with changes in water flow.
The absence of the archive at this stage means the absence of arguments, tools, and the ability to foresee. This makes the loss of documents not just an administrative disaster, but a major sovereign setback. Negotiations are not conducted based on emotions or good intentions but through precise data, historical experience, operation and maintenance records, and everything that documents provide.
Hence, protecting what remains of the Ministry of Irrigation’s archive, or attempting to recover it in any form, becomes a priority no less important than restarting stations and facilities. If we had launched a project to document this memory in the past, the task at hand now is to launch a national project to rebuild the archive, with the participation of ministries, academic institutions, experts, and anyone who possesses a piece of Sudan’s water history.
The Gezira Scheme, with all its field and hydrological complexities, cannot be revived without an archive that clarifies how water flowed and where it was disrupted. Even the “Popular Campaign for Irrigation Channels in Gezira and Managil,” despite its field importance, will remain limited in impact without the technical and engineering memory on which to base the implementation stages and determine priorities.
According to what we see from the #Face_of_Truth, the Ministry of Irrigation’s archive is considered one of the keys to national sovereignty in one of the most critical arenas of regional conflict: the conflict over resources. The documents that document a century of expertise, knowledge, and water planning are a negotiating asset, a scientific reference, and a foundation for rebuilding the state. The loss of this memory means diminishing the state’s ability to defend its interests both internally and regionally. Therefore, restoring and protecting these documents is a highly important security and political option, requiring immediate action and decisions that recognize the significance of this archive for the country’s future in managing water resources.
Wishing you all good health and wellness.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Shglawi55@gmail.com