North: They had troops, guns, equipment, and provisions inside, and they owned it, and so they wanted to keep it.
South: It was located in the South, and they thought it was rightfully theirs, and that is why they wanted it
It didn't really have any strategic importance, however, it had political importance
hope this helps
The first Pharaoh of Egypt was Narmer, who is also referred to as Menes. so the answer is a.
Fun facts.
If you find a machine which goes in a speed of 3×10^8 m/sec, you can see the past and future. You can even travel for longer distant objects like stars
