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Algeria, Libya Affirm Need to Secure Borders, Boost Investment

The Algerian-Libyan Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing
The Algerian-Libyan Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing
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Algeria, Libya Affirm Need to Secure Borders, Boost Investment

The Algerian-Libyan Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing
The Algerian-Libyan Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing

A Libyan delegation, led by Head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, held talks with Tunisian officials in Algiers on Sunday.

During the talks, both sides stressed the importance of securing borders and boosting investments between the two countries.

Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum affirmed his country’s “unlimited” solidarity with Libyans to overcome their crisis.

He highlighted efforts to support Libyan authorities in restoring political stability and security.

Following talks with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Mangoush, Boukadoum said they discussed bilateral ties and means of attaining both people’s interests.

They further exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining bilateral communication and coordination.

Boukadoum expressed “great satisfaction” with the common will to push forward these relations.

The Algerian-Libyan Economic Forum was held on Sunday in Algiers and brought together 500 businessmen and contractors from both countries to discuss investment opportunities.

Boukadoum also said his country was finalizing logistical and technical preparations for the reopening of the Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing with Libya.

Both FMs discussed “measures to overcome obstacles facing investors, develop commercial and economic exchanges, including the acceleration of the reopening of the Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing.”

“The fraternal and neighborliness ties have enshrined the values of understanding and solidarity as constants in our bilateral relations,” Boukadoum stressed, hailing the Libyan people’s support for Algerians during the liberation revolution.

Mangoush, for her part, praised Algeria’s efforts and steady role to preserve Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its unlimited solidarity to achieve national reconciliation.

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Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday stepped up his criticism of Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on the Nile’s main tributary, which Cairo fears will threaten its water supply.

He rejected what he described as “unilateral measures” along the Nile Basin, warning: “Anyone who thinks Egypt will turn a blind eye to threats to its water security is mistaken.”

Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Sisi said the water issue had become “part of a broader campaign of pressure on Egypt to achieve other objectives.”

“We will remain vigilant and will take all measures guaranteed under international law to safeguard our people’s existential resources,” he vowed.

Sisi stressed that Egypt does not oppose development in Nile Basin countries but insisted such projects must not affect the volume of water reaching Egypt. “The best way to deal with the Nile Basin is to respect everyone’s interests,” he said.

Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, under African Union mediation, have been stalled since April 2021, prompting Cairo to appeal to the UN Security Council for pressure on Addis Ababa.

Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 98% of its water, receives an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters. It is already below the global water poverty line, with only 500 cubic meters per person annually, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

Sisi noted that Egypt and Sudan together receive just 4% of the Nile Basin’s 1,600 billion cubic meters of water, amounting to 85 billion cubic meters.

“This is the only source of life for the two downstream states,” he said, adding that Egypt had never called for “fair water sharing”, which would mean dividing the entire basin’s volume.

Egypt hopes Uganda’s current chairmanship of the Nile Basin Initiative’s consultation mechanism can foster consensus among basin states.

The two leaders inaugurated the Egypt-Uganda Business Forum in Cairo and witnessed the signing of five agreements on water resources, agricultural cooperation and food security, investment, mutual visa exemptions for official passports, and diplomatic cooperation.

The talks come just weeks before Ethiopia plans to inaugurate GERD in September. Former Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Hegazy said Cairo is counting on Kampala’s role in dam-related consultations.

Relations between Cairo and Kampala have been warming, with Uganda recently hosting a “2+2” dialogue between the foreign and water ministers of both countries. Sisi said Egypt views Uganda as a key partner in the southern Nile Basin and seeks to make it a primary beneficiary of Egypt’s development support mechanisms.