ME and Ophelia

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NEW KENYA-SUDAN RAILWAY 2.96 BILLION USD
German consortium to soon start 3,000 km construction

For those of you who have been following the comings and goings of politicians from all around the world meeting with the Sudanese government in Khartoum, the following report may explain one of the reasons why "high ranking" German officials have been attending so many meetings with Sudanese government officials in Khartoum and Germany:

July 19: -- "A German consortium will undertake the construction of a 3,000-km railway line linking Kenya and southern Sudan, Kenyan newspaper East African Standard reported Monday.

Kenyan Planning and National Development Minister Anyang Nyong's was quoted as saying that the 237-billion-shilling (2.96 billionUS dollars) project would begin soon and the German investor has visited Kenya to inspect the project after his recent tour of Germany.

Nyong's announcement came shortly after the consortium, led by a leading German railway construction firm, Thormaehlen Schweisstechnik AG, presented a proposal to the Kenyan government in pursuit of the concessioning of the Kenya and Uganda railways.

The German entrepreneur and owner of the investing firm, Klaus Thormaehlen, has reportedly held consultations with top Kenyan officials and the Kenya Railways management, which centered on theoverhauling of the country's century-old meter gauge railway network to a much more practical standard gauge.

The railway line connecting Kenya, Uganda and Sudan would ensure fast transportation of oil in the region and boost trade, Nyong's said."

[Note: insert here, later on, collection of reports on meetings between German officials and Khartoum]