On Monday, the Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated attack with marches on five power stations, causing a power outage in large areas of eastern Sudan, according to a government official.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent in Gezira State, where two power stations were targeted, in addition to three other stations in Gedaref and White Nile states, reported that there had been a power outage since before dawn.
Yesterday morning, the Sudanese army’s air defenses shot down drones that were likely targeting the “Umm Alila” fuel depots, located a few kilometers from the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera State in central Sudan.
Sources reported that 4 drones flew over the sky of the town of Umm Alila, east of the state, minutes before the sound of anti-aircraft fire was heard.
Media platforms reported that the Sudanese army confronted the marches before carrying out their attack, while it was not possible to verify this information from other sources, in the absence of any immediate official comment.
During the past few days, more than 300 people were killed in air strikes by drones targeting a number of civilian sites in Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile and Khartoum, in an escalation of mutual attacks between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, according to UN reports.
The marches have become one of the most prominent fighting tools in the Sudanese war, with both sides increasingly relying on them to target locations far from the direct confrontation lines.
Amid escalating tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa due to the Ethiopian “Renaissance Dam” dispute, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reaffirmed his country’s rejection of the “fait accompli” policy, and set conditions for cooperation with Ethiopia, stressing that relying on Egypt’s negligence in its water security is a “losing bet.”
Al-Sisi said in a recorded speech during the opening of the “Ninth Cairo Water Week,” on Sunday, that Egypt “chose the path of cooperation and dialogue, a conscious choice, based on confidence in the justice of its cause and the legality of its position (referring to the Renaissance Dam), and certainty that protecting the interests of its people is a responsibility that it will not neglect to fulfill.”
He continued: “I say clearly that any bet on Egypt accepting the imposition of a fait accompli or compromising on its water security... is a losing bet.”
According to a statement by Egyptian presidential spokesman Mohamed El-Shenawy, President Sisi indicated that “from this standpoint; Egypt's hand remains extended to its brothers for cooperation based on the rules of international law, consultation and coordination, good neighborliness and non-harm. We are one family united by the Nile, our common interests are greater than our differences, and our basin possesses vast resources and potential that, with good management and development, can meet the needs and aspirations of our peoples.
The “Ninth Cairo Water Week” kicked off on Sunday, under the title “Water is a Catalyst for Peace, Shared Prosperity and a Sustainable Planet,” and will continue until October 29 in the presence of international delegations and UN organizations.
The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia extends for about 15 years over the “Renaissance Dam” that Addis Ababa opened on the eastern tributary of the Nile River, and Egypt fears that it will affect its water share, and since the negotiations were frozen in 2024, relations between the two countries have become tense.
Al-Sisi said in his speech, “Egypt respects and supports the right of all Nile Basin countries to development, and we have translated this position into practice through cooperation with our brothers regarding the projects proposed, within the investment programs in the Southern Nile Basin countries, in the fields of energy, agriculture, and irrigation.”
He stressed that this experience has proven that “prior notification, exchange of studies, and consultation are practical tools that support moving forward in mobilizing financing for projects, build trust, and preserve everyone’s interests,” and are not “a means to obstruct development, or impose guardianship on any country. It is an experience that confirms that real cooperation is possible... whenever the will is present.”
Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and former Assistant Foreign Minister, Rakha Ahmed Hassan, believes that President Sisi’s speech carries “important political messages.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the messages, in terms of the overall outlook, confirm Egypt’s adherence to the diplomatic path according to conditions, and that it supports the right of the Nile Basin countries to development, and that Cairo will not compromise on its water rights.”
In his speech at the opening session of “Cairo Week,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly affirmed that Egypt “is proud of its African affiliation, and is particularly proud of its affiliation to the Nile Basin family, whose peoples share historical ties and common interests,” noting that “we do not want our relations to be reduced to water disputes or for the basin to turn into an arena for competition between upstream and downstream countries, but rather we want it to be an area for partnership, development, and respect for the interests of everyone.”
Madbouly stressed that “Egypt has never restricted the right of any country to achieve development and benefit from its natural resources. On the contrary, it has always been the first to extend a helping hand and assistance to its African brothers.”
Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Hegazy believes that the Egyptian messages confirm fixed determinants of Cairo’s position, and he confirms to Asharq Al-Awsat that “President Sisi’s speech is comprehensive and specific to the current position,” explaining that “Ethiopia must be aware of the implications of the Egyptian messages and conditions, and that there is no alternative to cooperation in accordance with a comprehensive and binding legal agreement.”
For his part, Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Hani Sweilem stressed, in his speech on Sunday, that Egypt “extends its hand to its brothers in the basin countries to exchange experiences and enhance opportunities for joint development,” noting the importance of “continuing dialogue and consultation to build an inclusive, consensual framework that takes into account the interests of all countries.”
The director of the African Program at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Amani Al-Taweel, touched on the goal of the “Egyptian Messages” and told Asharq Al-Awsat that “although the Egyptian messages are the same as traditional, they aim to emphasize that Cairo respects international law and adheres to the diplomatic path,” stressing that the messages re-marketed the Egyptian political position on (the Ethiopian Dam issue) before the international and regional delegations participating in (Cairo Water Week).”
