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October 24, 2026

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Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a joint statements and agreements during the EU and Egypt summit in Brussels, on Oct. 22, 2025.

Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai

The Egyptian president’s remarks follow a warning from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks.

China's President Xi Jinping (center L) walks along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer (R) upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport on September 1, 2026. President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on September 1, making a rare trip to the Middle East as both countries face the threat of US sanctions over financial links to Iran. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

For Beijing, the renewed Egypt-Ethiopia standoff is a zero-sum bind that threatens vital strategic interests on both sides of the Nile.

Joyce Karam

A quadrilateral summit was held on Oct. 4, 2026, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi, Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki, President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, in New El Alamein City, Egypt.

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan hold summit amid Ethiopia tensions

All four countries have increasingly tense relations with Ethiopia, driven by disputes over the Nile, Red Sea access and security.

Latest News

Explainer

Why are Egypt and Ethiopia clashing over Tigray, Somalia and the Nile?

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on February 19, 2022. - Ethiopia's massive hydro-electric dam project on a tributary of the Nile has raised regional tensions notably with Egypt, which depends on the huge river for 97 percent of its water supply. Government officials said the dam would begin producing electricity on Sunday, more than a decade since work first started. (Photo by Amanuel SILESHI / AFP) (Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Ima

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

Israeli PM

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohammed Magdy

In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics

Ayah Aman

In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture

Salwa Samir

In Giza, reporting on politics

Nada Shaker

In Cairo, reporting on culture

Muslim Brotherhood's president-elect Mohamed Morsy (R) arrives at the Egyptian Television headquarters for his first televised address to the nation in Cairo June 24, 2012. Morsy's victory in Egypt's presidential election takes the Muslim Brotherhood's long power struggle with the military into a new round that will be fought inside the institutions of state themselves and may force new compromises on the Islamists. Picture taken June 24, 2012. To match Analysis EGYPT-ELECTION/STRUGGLE/ REUTERS/Stringer (

Who's behind vote to label Muslim Brotherhood a terror group?

After the House Judiciary panel voted along party lines to force a State Department ruling, opinions remain split over the true motivation behind the step.

Members of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas stand guard as they view a landslide caused by floodwater pumped by Egyptian forces to destroy a network of Palestinian tunnels, near the border between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip November 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX1VYBN

Did Egypt flood tunnels at Israel's request?

Israel's energy minister sparked anger with statements he reportedly made about security cooperation between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Why one IDF soldier continues to cause controversy in Egypt

The case of Dina Ovadia, an Egyptian woman from Alexandria who was stripped of her citizenship after moving to Israel and joining the IDF, has returned to the headlines in Egypt.

Electoral banners for the Salafist political party "al-Nour" (top) are seen in Shubra area in Cairo during the second day of the second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections, Egypt, November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX1VH3O

Head of Egypt’s Nour Party bloc speaks out

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Khalil, the head of the Islamist Nour Party’s parliamentary bloc, speaks about the party’s role and plans in the legislature.

An Egyptian farmer stands in a well of water used to irrigate his land in a farm affected by drought and formerly irrigated by the river Nile, in El-Dakahlya, about 120 km (75 miles) from Cairo June 4, 2013. Ethiopia has not thought hard enough about the impact of its ambitious dam project along the Nile, Egypt said on Sunday, underlining how countries down stream are concerned about its impact on water supplies. The Egyptian presidency was citing the findings of a report put together by a panel of experts

Are Egypt's new water discoveries just a distraction?

Egypt keeps stacking its stories up higher as its water woes deepen.

A worker checks Egypt's first tablet computer "Inar" in Benha May 18, 2013. Egypt has produced its very first tablet computer "Inar", part of a national project to distribute the device to students in schools and universities around the country. The Ministry of Military Production in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications presented the scheme last year to Benha Electronics Company known as 'Katron' to manufacture the tablet. Picture taken May 18, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tag

Egyptian women launch 'One Girl is Worth 100' campaign

Rania Ayman, a founding member of the campaign "One Girl is Worth 100," speaks to Al-Monitor about women who struggle to make a living in jobs traditionally limited to men.

How heavy metal music is causing a stir in Egypt

A concert in Cairo scheduled for later this month has revived a decades-long controversy over heavy metal music and accusations of devil worship.

Will Egypt's 'luxury tax' hurt everyday citizens?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree raising customs tariffs on so-called luxury products, a new development that some say threatens the country with a potential wave of inflation.

Members of security forces keep watch in Tahrir Square before the fifth anniversary of the January 25 uprising, in Cairo, Egypt, January 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX23RJQ

In last interview, former UN Secretary-General defends Cairo's crackdowns

In an interview with Al-Monitor a week before passing away at the age of 93, former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali spoke about the challenges of ensuring full freedoms amid a precarious security situation.

Can Sisi reconcile with Egypt's youth? Does he even want to?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proclaimed 2016 to be the Year of the Youth, yet young people continue to be arrested and oppressed, which could result in the emergence of secret activities, especially by Islamists.

Yemenis, hoping to obtain a flight ticket back to Yemen, wait outside a branch office of Yemenia Airways after being stranded in Cairo, April 28, 2015. At least 15 people were killed in heavy fighting between Houthi fighters and tribesmen in the oil-producing Marib province in central Yemen, tribal and medical sources said on Tuesday, as Saudi-led air strikes against the Iran-allied militia continued. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih - RTX1AND4

Displaced Yemenis suffer in silence in Egypt

Despite the war raging in their country, Yemen’s displaced citizens in Egypt await the day they can return.

Traders work at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo, Egypt, December 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX1X09Z

How Egypt plans to boost its stock exchange

The Egyptian government's decision to sell shares of some state-owned banks and companies is drawing both praise and criticism.