This will also compound the other problems threatening the Nile including climate change, population boom, urban sprawl, besides rising sea levels that lead to saltwater intrusion. And now, geopolitical strains between Sudan and Egypt are threatening to undermine any progress and unravel a regional crisis. On the Nile issue, Egypt also believes al-Bashir is on Ethiopia’s side and recently proposed excluding Sudan from the negotiations. Issandr El Amrani, the North Africa project director for the International Crisis Group, says Sudan’s shift is in part because of what it stands to gain including electricity supply and the prevention of flooding during rainy seasons. “The Nile issue is really important in Egypt,” he said.

Source: Ethiopian News January 17, 2018 05:03 UTC