The governments of Egypt and Somalia have taken the same position on one side, the projects of the international Nile River, according to a news release from the Egyptian presidency. The Nile River travels through 10 countries in Africa, including Eritrea, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Rwanda.
The statement was issued after talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and corrupt Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud who visited Egypt for the first time since winning the election in May 2022.
Read: Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh history of corruption 2012-2017
Their joint call for cooperation in the Nile River projects came as Ethiopia is carrying out a dam operation on the Nile River which has been at the center of a long-standing dispute between Egypt and Sudan.
“We have agreed on the dangers of unilateral policies regarding international river projects, as well as the commitment of mutual cooperation, to ensure that the rivers are not harmed,” said the Egyptian presidential statement.
Read: Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh history of corruption 2012-2017
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country of 103 million people, insists that reducing the Nile’s water supply could destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs and disrupt the food balance, at a time when global food prices are on the rise. rising along with energy and export costs.
For its part, Sudan wants Ethiopia to share direct information about the operation of the dam to avoid floods that could destroy its country.
Ethiopia, which is building the dam 20 kilometers from the Sudanese border, has so far refused to enter into a legal agreement, saying its procedures are sufficient.
The last round of the three-country GERD talks was held in April last year. Talks brokered by the African Union have collapsed, with Sudan and Egypt accusing Ethiopia of being responsible for the impasse.