Ethiopia’s reported filling of Nile dam heats up tensions with Egypt, Sudan
Cairo is ramping up pressure on Addis Ababa again in tandem with Khartoum's forces.
Egypt and Sudan held joint military drills in Sudan this week amid reports that Ethiopia had begun a second filling of its controversial Nile dam.
Egyptian ground, naval and air forces, including special forces and paratroopers, participated in the Guardians of the Nile exercise, which kicked off Thursday, an Egyptian military spokesman spokesman said.
Sudanese media announced the exercise last week, saying that Egyptian soldiers had arrived at Khartoum Air Base and others were expected to arrive by ship. The exercise is expected to continue through the weekend, and is aimed at strengthening ties and “unifying methods to deal with threats that both countries expectedly face,” according to Sudan’s state-run SUNA news agency.
The two countries previously combined forces for training drills in April. Those exercises took place after negotiations aimed at easing tensions with Addis Ababa fell through in Kinshasa.
