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Border dispute among many straws weighing on Egypt's back

Egypt has upped its game in, and its claim to, the Halayeb triangle border area, as Cairo's relationship with Sudan heats up.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir meet ahead of the signing of a number of agreements between the two countries at the El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - D1BEUFFRQGAA

CAIRO — The long-running land dispute between Egypt and Sudan is rearing its head again and each side is taking steps that incite the other. The tension, fueled by several issues, has grown to the point where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in an effort to calm the situation, announced today that his choice is not to go to war with Sudan or its ally Ethiopia.

The other issues feeding the discord include Egypt's concern that Sudan will let Turkey build a military base nearby and Egypt's frustration that Sudan is siding with Ethiopia in a high-stakes conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears will reduce its supply of water from the Nile River.

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