Water Issues

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.

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Analysis

How Ethiopia’s new dams test Egypt’s ability to defend its Nile red lines

Ethiopia’s water minister has emphasized the country’s plans to move forward with new Blue Nile dam construction, leaving Egypt to contend with the potential fallout.

Eli Siegel-Bernstein

By Eli Siegel-Bernstein

Latest News

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City, June 19, 2024.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Abdulla Balalaa

Abdulla Balalaa

UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability

Agnes Naigaga, 53, stands on Lake Victoria in a boat, at the spot where her clinic once stood, Aug. 27, 2021.

Culture

Photojournalists share life on Nile

Photographers and journalists from Nile Basin countries meet in Cairo to show their stories about the Nile in the EveryDayNile project amid growing concerns of water shares and cleanness.

Sudanese demonstrators perform the Friday noon prayers in the southern area of Khartoum on July 1, 2022.

Sudan-Ethiopia conflict escalates over disputed border

The killing of seven Sudanese soldiers and one civilian in Ethiopian territory and an attack in the disputed Al Fashaga also takes place as the third filling of the giant Nile dam nears.

Nile houseboat.

Culture

Egyptian government plans demolition of Nile's historic houseboats

The Egyptian government is planning to clear the banks of the Nile River of floating residential houseboats to beautify the waterfront and implement new projects.

Xue Bing (C), China's special envoy to the Horn of Africa, speaks as Redwan Hussein, national security adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia looks on during the first Horn of Africa peace conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 20, 2022.

Nile dispute absent from first peace conference led by China to settle conflicts in Horn of Africa

China avoided the controversial GERD dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia during the first peace conference held in Addis Ababa to settle the disputes plaguing the Horn of Africa.

The 5th Trilateral Meeting of Defense Ministers of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, Cairo, June 20, 2022.

Egypt, Greece, Cyprus boost military cooperation in EastMed region

Egypt, Greece and Cyprus have promoted their military relations in the face of security threats and to defend their interests in the Eastern Mediterranean that is rich in oil and gas reserves.

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Media Ministry on March 8, 2022.

Saudis side with Egypt on Nile dam

Saudi Arabia has explicitly and officially voiced its support for Egypt in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis.

Buffalo graze by the bed of the dried-up Diyala River.

Egypt to build desalination plant in Iraq

Egypt plans to build a desalination plant on the Euphrates River to help address acute water shortages in southern Iraq amid lack of rainfall and poor management of water resources.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attends the inauguration of the 10th president of Somalia in Mogadishu, Somalia, June 9, 2022.

Egypt looks to Somalia for more influence in Red Sea, Nile dam dispute

Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the inauguration of new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, who faces a wide array of challenges.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) stands with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi (L).

Egypt, Congo boost ties with electricity deal

Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to partner in the field of electricity as part of Egypt’s plan to boost its presence in the African continent amid the stalled talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis.

Ethiopia's midfielder Surafel Dagnachew, defender Ramadan Yusef, forward Getaneh Kebede and midfielder Yehun Endeshaw run on the field during the Group A Africa Cup of Nations 2021 soccer match between Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam, Cameroon, Jan. 17, 2022.

Culture

Soccer defeat against Ethiopia ignites Egyptian anger over Nile dam

The Egyptian national soccer team’s defeat against Ethiopia awakened angry reactions at the political and sporting levels in Egypt, with some associating the victory to Ethiopia’s position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity Seleshi Bekele.

Egypt skeptical of Ethiopia's call to resume Nile Dam talks

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said "no one will touch Egypt's water" as Ethiopia prepares for the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received on June 9, 2022, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Liberata Mulamula in Cairo.

Egypt boosts ties with Tanzania amid ongoing Nile dam dispute

Egypt is boosting ties with the Nile Basin countries while Ethiopia inches toward the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without an agreement with the downstream countries.