Politics
Egypt rebuffs Ethiopian Nile statements as ministers trade claims over dams
October 5, 2026 at 01:58 AM
Egypt's foreign minister said Cairo will not be drawn into Ethiopian statements aimed at distracting from internal crises, as officials exchanged claims over Nile dams.
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Atti said Egypt will not be drawn into Ethiopian statements he said aim to distract from internal crises.
- Abdel-Atti said one-sided construction of new Nile dams without consulting downstream states violates international law.
- Ethiopian Water Minister Habtamu Itefa said Ethiopia insists on its sovereign water right and demanded Egypt explain building the Aswan Dam without its approval.
- Former Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasr El-Din said Egypt relied on the 1902 and 1929 Nile agreements when constructing the Aswan High Dam.