Water Issues

A Taliban security personnel walks along the roadside during the inauguration ceremony of Bakhshabad Dam in Bala Buluk district of Farah province on May 20, 2023.

Analysis

How climate change, dams are fueling Iran-Afghanistan water disputes

The Pashdan Dam is the latest flashpoint in the long-standing water disputes between the two nations.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge crossing point to Jordan (background), Jericho, West Bank, Jan. 28, 2021.

Analysis

First in 30 years: How Allenby Bridge attack could upend Jordan-Israel ties

Despite the strained relationship between Jordan's King Abdullah and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, neither of the governments wishes to see the breakout of violence on the border or the Temple Mount.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A Somali National Army soldier stands at attention during the morning briefing for trainee officers at the General Dhagabadan Training Centre in Mogadishu on March 19, 2024.

Tensions surge in Horn of Africa as Ethiopia’s ambitions clash with Somalia, Egypt

Tensions in the Horn of Africa bubble following a weapons delivery from Egypt to Somalia on Tuesday and Ethiopia's accusing Somalia of colluding with foreign governments.

The Euphrates river near Dura Europos (Tell Salhiye), Syria. Iraq is just several miles downstream.

In managing water crisis, can Turkey and Iraq bridge gap without Syria?

Turkey and Iraq need to bring Syria into the fold to resettle the historical water sharing problems between the three countries, according to experts and officials.

Latest News

Dubai's record rainfall spotlights Gulf’s troubled relation with water

A man walks past a stranded car on a flooded street in Dubai following heavy rains on April 18, 2024.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Why Israel is likely to accept Jordan’s request for more water

The Wadi Mujib river in Jordan.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Floods devastate Iran’s Baluchistan as losses exceed $40 million

An Iranian woman walks through a flooded road on Jan. 13, 2020.

Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed downplays war risk with Somalia over Somaliland deal

AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak (C) speaks to the press.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Turkey thrust into spotlight amid Ukraine-Russia talks

Turkey acts as mediator in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Israel is on high alert after a wave of terrorist attacks, how drones are revolutionizing the battlefield, and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

Media staff members watch a live image of China's President Xi Jinping speaking at the media center of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, Kunming, Yunnan province, China, Oct. 12, 2021.

China expands its influence in Horn of Africa, overlooks dispute over Nile dam

The agenda of the first African tour made by the newly appointed Chinese envoy to the Horn of Africa did not tackle the controversial GERD dispute between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

An Iraqi woman farmer digs with a shovel in a field in Diwaniyah

UN releases dire warning about water scarcity in Middle East and North Africa

Water scarcity is so bad in parts of Yemen that it has led to displacement, a UN official said.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed meet in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 22 2022

Analysis

The Takeaway: Israel looks to mediate Saudi, Emirati anger over Iran deal

Zelenskyy’s Holocaust comparison unsettles Israelis; Islamic State takes advantage of Russian distraction in Ukraine; Egypt, Sudan deepen military ties; Lebanon embraces cryptocurrency amidst crisis; Jenin becomes model of resistance to Israeli occupation — all in less than 1,100 words!

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Tyler Huffman

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Tyler Huffman , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

Workers are seen at the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 19, 2022.

Egypt deepens military ties with Sudan as Ethiopia moves forward with Nile dam

Egypt and Sudan continue to build on their military relations amid rising tensions with Ethiopia with the approaching third filling phase of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam despite the negotiations halt.

The Nile River flows from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 19, 2022.

Ethiopia tries to divide Sudan, Egypt in talks over Nile Dam

Ethiopian and Sudanese officials have met separately over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but Cairo and Khartoum are still mostly united in their concerns.

A view of part of the Shagarab camp, situated about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of the Eritrean border, Shagarab, Sudan, Aug. 15, 2021.

Sudan, Ethiopia negotiate over border conflict

Bilateral talks are ongoing between Ethiopia and Sudan aimed at resuming negotiations to solve the border dispute between the two countries and the GERD crisis.

A member of the Republican March Band poses for a photo at the ceremony for the inaugural production of energy at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

With world attention on Ukraine, Nile dam conflict escalates

Egypt and Sudan have condemned Ethiopia's decision to partially start electricity production via the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

A welcome sign on the Suez Canal shore in the northeastern Egyptian city of Ismailiya, on May 27, 2021.

Egypt says no worries over Suez Canal amid Russian-Ukrainian standoff

The head of the Suez Canal Authority said Egypt is ready for all the possible scenarios resulting from tensions between Russia and Ukraine and their impact on global navigation.

GERD ceremony

Egypt reacts as Ethiopia switches on first Nile dam turbine

Cairo continues to call on Addis Ababa to end its unilateral measures when it comes to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Protesters march down 42nd Street in New York during a "It's my Dam" protest, where Ethiopians unite around the Nile River mega-project, March 11, 2021.

Ethiopia warns it won't wait forever over Nile dam dispute

The Ethiopian foreign minister once again criticized Egypt’s and Sudan's attempt to prevent operation of the Nile megadam, sparking an angry reaction from Cairo.

State heads pose during the 35th Session of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

AU summit in Addis Ababa ignores Nile dam crisis

The 35th African Union Summit was held in Addis Ababa to discuss peace and security issues in Africa, but the Grand Ethiopian Renassiance Dam was not on the agenda.