CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a letter Sept. 19 from the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, that included “the DRC’s expression of support for the Egyptian terms of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue and aspirations to develop bilateral ties with Egypt and tap into its experience in infrastructure and large development projects,” according to an Egyptian presidency statement.

Sisi expressed his appreciation for the DRC’s stance in support of Egypt regarding the Nile dam issue. He added, “Egypt’s hand is extended to the DRC and to all countries of the continent for cooperation, construction, development and peace to benefit from the massive capacities and rich resources of the DRC and other friendly African states, to develop them and capitalize on them economically in the best way possible for the current and future African generations.”

In this context, Hatem Bashat, member of the parliamentary African Affairs Commission, told Al-Monitor over the phone, “The DRC’s support for the Egyptian stance in the GERD file is the fruit of Sisi’s political [moves] to cement ties with African countries after years of disregard, since he took office in 2014.”

Bashat noted, “This stance is not new for the DRC, which has had special ties with Egypt for years, compared to its African counterparts. We hope the impact will be positive to mobilize African public opinion and convince people with Egypt’s vision for the GERD negotiations. We are expecting more from the remaining African countries, which know Egypt’s real intentions toward this issue.”