Egypt Supports Introducing Regional Early Warning Systems for Water, Climate

Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty speaks at Sunday's event. (Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry)
Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty speaks at Sunday's event. (Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry)
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Egypt Supports Introducing Regional Early Warning Systems for Water, Climate

Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty speaks at Sunday's event. (Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry)
Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty speaks at Sunday's event. (Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry)

Egypt expressed its backing for the adoption of a plan to develop and apply a regional early warning systems over water and climate.

The step aims at increasing the readiness of all regional countries to address “extreme phenomena,” such as torrential rains and droughts, and protect citizens from the impact of climate change.

Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty participated virtually at a meeting of the Global Alliances for Water and Climate (GAfWaC) held on Sunday as part of the Dushanbe Water Conference hosted by Tajikistan.

He said Cairo attaches great importance to GAfWaC and works on rallying international support for the coalition at all international conferences given Egypt's scarcity of water resources.

The Alliance is one of the international initiatives that aim to achieve integration between water and climate agendas.

Its members include presidents Tajikistan and Hungary. It is also led by various relevant UN organizations, including the World Meteorological Organization, which is one of its major founders.

Abdel Aty stressed that climate change is one of the most pressing issues the world is facing, given its growing impact on water resources and food production across the world.

He called for intensifying national efforts to adapt to climate changes and providing the necessary funding to implement projects to that end, as well as taking the necessary measures to reduce emissions.

Egypt has implemented many projects in this field, including flood protection projects, which aim to protect citizens and buildings from the destructive effects of torrential rains, and beach protection projects, which aim to adapt to rising sea levels.

The minister underscored the importance of the participation of GAfWaC’s members in the COP27 Climate Summit, which will be held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh in November.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.