Egypt and Sudan reject unilateral Nile moves, sign water-aid pact in Cairo

Egypt and Sudan held the third round of their 2+2 consultations in Cairo and signed a memorandum of understanding for water-resource development projects in Sudan.

• Foreign and irrigation ministers from both countries convened the third round of the 2+2 consultative mechanism in Cairo on November 2, 2026.
• Egypt and Sudan rejected all unilateral moves in the Eastern Nile basin, calling the Ethiopian dam contrary to international law and a continuing threat to downstream states.
• The two governments affirmed their full water rights under the 1959 agreement and urged Ethiopia to restore cooperation under international-law principles.
• The memorandum covers rehabilitation of the Jebel Aulia dam, flood protection, rainwater harvesting and solar-powered drinking-water stations in Sudan.
• Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met his Sudanese counterpart Mohieddin Salim on the sidelines, reaffirming support for Sudan's unity, sovereignty and the international quartet's mediation.
• The joint declaration rejected any military securitization of the Red Sea or granting non-littoral states maritime access at coastal states' expense.
• The two governments reaffirmed the inseparability of their water security and called for restoring consensus within the Nile Basin Initiative.