Water Issues

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani review honor guards during the latter's official visit to Ankara, May 8, 2025.

Analysis

Water for influence: Turkey moves to ease Iraq's water shortages ahead of elections

Turkey took the step in a bid to ensure that relations with Iraq's current and future leaderships remain manageable after the vote.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A general view shows the Samra Waste Water Treatment Plant, Zarqa, Jordan, March 13, 2018.

Analysis

Jordan’s water security caught between $5B megaproject, frayed Israel ties

Amman's efforts to tackle acute water challenges have delivered breakthroughs in 2025, while progress toward the end of the Gaza war could see revived interest in Israel-Jordan water ties.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

SABUR RASHID/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Drought-stricken Iraq sends delegation to Turkey to discuss water cooperation

Turkey recently agreed to release more water to Iraq amid the drought in the country, indicating improving coordination on resource management after years of tensions over Turkish dams.

A nurse treats a Dengue fever patient at a hospital in Omdurman, west of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Sept. 24, 2025.

RSF hits Darfur hospital as cholera, dengue fever spread in war-torn Sudan

A Sudanese medical organization said a dozen people were killed after the RSF shelled one of the last operating hospitals in El Fasher, as Sudan’s collapsing health system battles cholera and dengue fever.

Latest News

Egypt steps up alarm on Ethiopia megadam as Sudan battles floods: What to know

A resident stands by belongings to salvage in a pool of water due to the flooding of the Nile river in the Sudanese village of Wad Ramli north of Khartoum on Oct. 1, 2025.

Wildfires ravage Syria’s Latakia for 4th day in row: What to know

Residents of the village of Shatha watch as a wildfire rages on the nearby hills, in the western Hama countryside in west-central Syria on Aug. 15, 2025.

Egypt’s Sisi talks water security with Rwanda's president in wake of Ethiopia’s megadam debut

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greets his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Cairo, Sept. 23, 2025.

Cyprus courts UAE amid Greek pressure on subsea cable: What to know

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides speaks during a press conference after the MED9 Summit in the Cypriot city of Paphos, on Oct. 11, 2024.

United Arab Emirates

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.

Egypt Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry attends the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

Ethiopia’s accusations against Egypt, Sudan dispel hopes for Renaissance Dam crisis

Egypt considers recent statements made by Ethiopian officials a setback for Nile Dam talks.

Yemenis displaced by conflict receive provisions to meet basic needs at a camp in Khokha district on Jan. 31, 2022.

The Takeaway: Yemen’s future may be affected by Iran talks

Iran and Israel; Iran and China; Iran and Turkey; Hamas alternative to "Fauda"; and more … all in less than 1,400 words.