Egypt’s Sisi Welcomes Trump Offer to Mediate Nile Dam Dispute With Ethiopia

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says he values an offer by US President Donald Trump to mediate the dispute over Nile River waters between Egypt and Ethiopia.

In a post on social media platform X on Saturday, Sisi said he addressed Trump’s letter by affirming Egypt’s position and concerns about the country’s water security regarding Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

On Friday, Trump said he was ready to restart US mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve the dispute over the Ethiopian dam, which both Egypt and Sudan consider a serious threat to vital water supplies.

Egypt has long opposed the project because of concerns about its future supplies of water from the Nile, on which it is heavily dependent. Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the regulation and safety of its own water supplies and dams.

Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burha,n also welcomed Trump’s mediation offer on Saturday.

Ethiopia, the continent’s second-most populous nation with more than 120 million people, views the five billion dollar dam on a tributary of the Nile as central to its economic ambitions. It has repeatedly rejected Egypt’s claims.

SOURCE: Reuters