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Egypt

October 14, 2026

Cairo 6:18 pm

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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.

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

Explainer

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

Egypt expelled an official at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo on Thursday following a similar move by Ethiopia that same day, in the latest sign of tensions between the neighboring African countries.

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

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of withholding information in the hours before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but the former security chief rejected the claim, saying he intends to file a defamation suit.

Latest News

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.

Egypt hosts Greece, Cyprus defense ministers: What to know

Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas, Egyptian Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, and Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias meet in Cairo, Sept. 22, 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

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Egypt raises bank rates again

The Central Bank cited rising inflation and price increases due to the war in Ukraine for the move.

A social worker plays an educational game with a homeless child inside one of the mobile units run by the Egyptian authorities and used as part of the "Atfal bala ma'wa" (Children Without a Home) social program, Abbasia district, Cairo, Egypt, June 22, 2020.

Egyptian startups reimagine mental health services in Arab-speaking world

In an attempt to fill some of the most urgent gaps in mental health issues across the region, online platforms have developed tech-enabled alternatives to offer services that are safe, stigma-free and help raise awareness — although concerns about accessibility persist.

Motaz Zahran

Analysis

The Takeaway: Egypt’s US envoy touts EastMed Gas Forum as regional model

Erdogan stands firm against NATO bids by Sweden and Finland; Israel pitched as alternative for Russian gas; Sudan’s coup leaders tested by violence; Turkey gains from Kurdish infighting; HTS in talks with Turkish-backed Syrian forces in Idlib.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

An Egyptian farmer opens up a water irrigation system as he tends to his fields on the banks of the Rasheed river, an offshoot of the Nile, in Cairo's northern Giza province, some 40 kilometres north of the capital, on June 22, 2013.

Egyptian woman takes on water shortages with new recycling system

An Egyptian engineering student has devised an onsite treatment unit to treat small-scale agricultural wastewater, which may become one strategy for reducing the country's many water challenges.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives for the COP26 UN Climate Summit, Glasgow, Ireland, Nov. 1, 2021.

Egypt to link Nile dam crisis to wider water issues at COP27

Egypt will host COP27 Climate summit in November amid the continued faltering of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Coptic Christian families celebrate the Spring Festival known as Sham el-Nessim by the Nile banks in al-Barsha village, Egypt, April 25, 2022.

Morocco shows support to Egypt in Nile dam crisis

In a first, Morocco officially announced its support to Egypt in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, but many believe this position will not help shift the negotiations over the GERD or change Ethiopia’s unilateral practices.

Muslim worshippers pray on Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt, April 27, 2022.

Egypt removes all mosque restrictions amid Brotherhood criticism

In response to the Muslim Brotherhood’s allegations of restricting worshippers in mosques, Egypt’s Ministry of Endowment decided to open all mosques across the country at full capacity, in a first step to ease the coronavirus measures.

Egyptian ambassador

Egypt’s ambassador say US should use leverage with Ethiopia amid Nile dam dispute

Speaking at an Al-Monitor event in Washington, Motaz Zahran also addressed human rights issues and a plan to supply energy to Lebanon.

Russian tourists are seen swimming and snorkeling in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Sept. 29, 2021.

Egypt looks to Gulf to revive tourism sector affected by Russian-Ukrainian war

Egypt is seeking to increase Arab tourism from the Gulf at a time when this vital sector has struggled to overcome the recession it suffered with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 19, 2022.

Ethiopia faces new cyberattacks on its Nile dam

Ethiopia said it foiled international cyberattack attempts targeting the works of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presents his national statement.

Egypt invests more than $1 billion in green projects ahead of COP27

Egypt is expanding its implementation of green projects ahead of hosting the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference.

Egyptian men work in a bakery at a market in Cairo, on March 17, 2022.

What do rising wheat prices, India’s export ban mean for Egypt?

Egypt is seeking to import wheat from India due to the Russian war on Ukraine.