Sisi Warns Ethiopia against Wasting Time on GERD

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
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Sisi Warns Ethiopia against Wasting Time on GERD

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned Ethiopia on Sunday against wasting time on negotiations related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stressing that his country seeks to reach a balanced agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam.

Speaking at the opening of the 4th Session of the Cairo Water Week, he said, “I would like to reiterate that we seek to reach, in the shortest time possible and without procrastination, a balanced and legally-binding agreement in this regard, in line with the Presidential Statement (issued on the GERD) by the Security Council in September 2021.”

Last month, the Council urged Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to resume African Union-led talks to reach a binding deal "within a reasonable timeframe" over the operation of the giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile.

Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for almost 10 years to conclude a legal agreement.

In his speech Sunday, the Egyptian President sought to comfort Ethiopia that such agreement would help achieve Addis Ababa's development goals, which Cairo understands and even supports, and at the same time limit the water, environmental, social and economic harm of this dam on Egypt and Sudan, based on respecting the rules of international law and in a manner that strengthens cooperation and coordination.

Sisi said Egypt has already developed the strategic plan for the management of water resources until the year 2037 at an estimated preliminary cost of $50 billion.

According to Sisi, the Egyptian plan is based on four main pillars: improving the quality of water, developing new water resources, rationalizing the use of the available water resources and enhancing the capacity of the Egyptian irrigation system.

“Egypt is one of the driest countries in the world, receiving the least average rainfall among all countries. This makes Egypt rely almost exclusively on the Nile River, which originates outside its borders,” Sisi revealed.

The Egyptian President urged countries sharing international rivers to uphold the principles of integration and participation, activate the rules of justice and fairness and not to harm the interests of their neighbors.



US Launches Airstrikes by Fighter Jets and Ships on Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis

 Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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US Launches Airstrikes by Fighter Jets and Ships on Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis

 Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)

The US military struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, going after weapons systems, bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed militias, US officials confirmed.

Military aircraft and warships bombed Houthi strongholds at roughly five locations, according to the officials.

Houthi media said seven strikes hit the airport in Hodeidah, a major port city, and the Katheib area, which has a Houthi-controlled military base. Four more strikes hit the Seiyana area in Sanaa, the capital, and two strikes hit the Dhamar province. The Houthi media office also reported three air raids in Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa.

The strikes come just days after the Houthis threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel after they apparently shot down a US military drone flying over Yemen. And just last week, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack targeting American warships.

The militias fired more than a half dozen ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles and two drones at three US ships that were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but all were intercepted by the Navy destroyers, according to several US officials.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet publicly released.

Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza started last October. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels.

The Houthis have maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.