Summary: Egypt is preparing to host COP27 at Sharm el Sheikh this November where it is expected to make the case for reparations for the Global South, despite its own poor environmental record.
Summary: while street protests continue, the generals, aided by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, tighten the noose on the Sudanese people and their call for a transition to democracy.
Arab Digest editor William Law kicks off the Digest’s first podcast of 2022 with the Egyptian analyst and writer Maged Mandour who argues that President Sisi has tethered Egypt’s foreign policy to the domestic imperative of strengthening his harsh authoritarian grip. Through massive borrowing and weapons purchases Sisi has lured Europe and America into turning a blind eye to human rights abuses and to an economic model that is destined to fail with profound consequences for Egypt, MENA and the wider world.
Summary: the murder of a female intelligence officer has brought fragile Somalia to the brink of state collapse.
Summary: Ethiopia will soon begin the second filling of the reservoir behind its huge dam on the Blue Nile, with no agreement with Egypt and Sudan in place (or in prospect).
Summary: a devastating fire in a migrant holding camp draws attention to the desperate situation of African migrants seeking to use Yemen as an entry point to Saudi Arabia and other GCC states.
Summary: as Sudan continues to wind its way towards democracy, the growing accord between Egypt and Sudan is producing a new framework for bilateral relations.
Summary: Sudan shows signs of nervousness following the failure of last month’s talks with fellow Nile riparians Egypt and Ethiopia.
Summary: with the filling of the reservoir behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) about to begin, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan re-start “technical” talks.
Summary: Egypt and Ethiopia have reached an understanding on the filling of the reservoir behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. A final agreement could be signed by the end of this month.
