عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Resume Nahdha Dam Negotiations Within Two Weeks

Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Resume Nahdha Dam Negotiations Within Two Weeks
TT
20
TT

Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Resume Nahdha Dam Negotiations Within Two Weeks

Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Resume Nahdha Dam Negotiations Within Two Weeks

Egypt and Ethiopia have agreed to resume negotiations over the Nahda Dam within the next two weeks, hoping to reach consensus on points of contention in an introductory report presented by a French advisory office.

The report focuses on the effects of the Ethiopian dam on the river’s streams (Egypt and Sudan).

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said he and his Ethiopian counterpart, Abiy Ahmed, agreed “to start bilateral discussions in the next two weeks to reach consensus on unsettled points.”

Ethiopia has been building the dam on one of the main reaches of the Nile to supply its territories with electricity.

Egypt fears the dam will restrict the waters coming down from Ethiopia's highlands, through the deserts of Sudan, to its fields and reservoirs.

Ethiopia, which wants to become Africa's biggest power exporter, says it will have no such impact.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have been carrying out a series of technical and political negotiations for years, but they have failed to find a decisive consensus so far.

Madbouly met on Sunday with Ahmed on the sidelines of the 11th African Union Extraordinary Summit in Addis Ababa.

He conveyed a message from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on means of developing bilateral relations to the level of integrated partnership and activating mechanisms to achieve this, according to a statement by the Egyptian Cabinet.

During his participation in the meetings on behalf of Sisi, Madbouly said he agreed with his Ethiopian counterpart on establishing a trilateral Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian fund via a meeting among the governors of the central banks of the three countries to finalize the agreement.

He noted his country's readiness to exchange expertise in the field of constructing new cities and roads in Ethiopia in light of the development plan adopted by Addis Ababa.

Abiy, for his part, stressed his personal concern with preserving the rights of Egypt and all the African countries associated with the Nile River, noting that both sides agreed during their meeting to start bilateral negotiations within the next two weeks to reach an agreement.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

SDF Responds to ISIS Attacks in Eastern Syria

Members of the SDF in the Deir Ezzor countryside. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
Members of the SDF in the Deir Ezzor countryside. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
TT
20
TT

SDF Responds to ISIS Attacks in Eastern Syria

Members of the SDF in the Deir Ezzor countryside. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
Members of the SDF in the Deir Ezzor countryside. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)

Suspected ISIS cells have escalated their activities in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, staging a series of attacks on security posts and imposing extortion fees on local residents, sources said on Thursday.

Military, security, and civil sources in northeastern Syria said ISIS remnants launched coordinated assaults in recent days, including a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on a security center in the town of Diban, marking one of the most intense waves of violence in the area since the start of the year.

“The cells have become increasingly active, with suspicious movements observed following multiple attacks on checkpoints and security facilities,” one local source said. “They are using intimidation tactics and extorting civilians.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Internal Security Forces, known as Asayish, confirmed that one of their centers in Diban, located in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, was attacked late Wednesday night.

“ISIS-affiliated militants on motorbikes launched an RPG and opened fire on our post in Diban,” the statement said.

Although ISIS lost its territorial control in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells continue to operate in remote desert areas, targeting security forces and civilians in ambushes and hit-and-run attacks.

Farhad Shami, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ media center, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Diban attack was one of two coordinated strikes carried out by ISIS-linked cells.

“In the first incident, ISIS fighters used medium-range weapons and rocket-propelled grenades against an Asayish checkpoint in Diban,” Shami said. “Our forces quickly intervened and fought back, forcing the cell to withdraw.”

In a second attack, militants targeted an SDF military vehicle in the nearby town of Jadid Akidat, also in eastern Deir Ezzor, firing an RPG and small-arms rounds at the patrol, Shami said.

“The response was immediate. Our units unleashed heavy fire on the attackers, compelling them to retreat, leaving several of their members wounded,” he added.

A United Nations report published in July last year estimated the number of ISIS fighters in Syria at between 3,000 and 5,000, many of whom are believed to be hiding in the rugged terrain between Syria and Iraq.

The group's enduring presence has raised concerns among regional authorities and international observers about a potential resurgence, particularly in areas where security forces are stretched thin.