Egypt Responds to Ethiopian Army Chief's Accusations.. in 3 Words

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Cairo responded with three words: "They are as nothing" to accusations made by the Ethiopian army chief against Egypt of supporting armed groups fighting the government forces in Ethiopia.

Nader Zaki, the official spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a message on his Facebook account yesterday evening, emphasizing that Egyptian foreign policy is based on solid and indivisible principles, foremost among them is respect for the sovereignty of states, the unity and integrity of their territories, and full commitment to non-interference in the internal affairs of any country.

He also added that "any claims that question Egypt's commitment to these solid principles are as nothing."

This Egyptian response came after sharp statements from the Ethiopian army chief, General Berhanu Jula, who accused Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea of providing support to armed groups fighting government forces in northern Ethiopia, considering that his forces are engaged in confrontations against organized and allied parties serving the interests of external powers targeting his country.

This verbal exchange comes in parallel with new field developments in the Tigray region and other areas of northern Ethiopia, where armed confrontations have renewed between federal forces, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and the Fano forces.

These Ethiopian accusations reflect the state of tension and apprehension prevailing between Cairo and Addis Ababa, where the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the main axis of the dispute. Egypt insists on the necessity of signing a binding legal agreement for the operation and filling of the dam to protect its water security and its historical share of 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia continues to take unilateral actions in the operational filling without coordination with the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, which has led the tripartite negotiations to a deadlock.

Tensions between the two countries escalated following Addis Ababa's signing of a memorandum of understanding with the unrecognized Somaliland region to access the Red Sea, which Cairo considered a threat to Somalia's sovereignty and the security of the Red Sea and navigation in the Suez Canal. In response, Egypt strengthened its military and security relations with Mogadishu and Eritrea.