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Why Somalia is important for Egypt in Nile dam crisis

Egypt seeks to consolidate relations with Somalia for its important role in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis and to counter Turkish influence in the Horn of Africa.

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A picture taken on Jan. 3, 2021, shows a general view of the Lake Nasser reservoir behind the High Dam in Aswan some 920km south of Egypt's capital. — KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

CAIRO — Political relations are rapidly changing in the Middle East and Africa — including Egyptian-Somali relations, which seem to have chilled with the neutral Somali position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.

On March 8, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received the new Somali ambassador to Egypt, Ilyas Sheikh Omar. On the same day, Omar issued a statement expressing Somalia’s willingness to initiate a rapprochement with Egypt.

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