Egypt and Sudan have signed a military cooperation agreement. The joint defense treaty was signed earlier today in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, by the Egyptian and Sudanese chiefs of staff, The National reports. This comes amid renewed tensions between the North African countries and Ethiopia over the latter’s plans to go ahead with the second phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) across the Nile River, which could gravely undermine water security in downstream states Egypt and Sudan and poses an existential threat for both nations. The military cooperation deal was reached as Sudanese Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Maryam Al Sadiq Al Mahdi and her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry met in Cairo to discuss the latest developments regarding the GERD crisis, calling Ethiopia’s decision to proceed with second filling a “unilateral act,” according to Arab News. Shoukry and Al Mahdi also called for the formation of an international committee to mediate between the downstream countries and Ethiopia, Al Ahram Online reports. The officials added that said committee should include representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union. The military cooperation agreement comes…
