Al-Sisi immediately welcomed this friendly gesture and expressed his appreciation of Trump’s efforts to consolidate the foundations of peace and stability at the regional and international levels.
The letter not only confirms Trump’s recognition of Egypt’s intense efforts to end the war and reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza but also reflected the restoration of warmth and trust between the two leaders and their countries, which have maintained a strategic partnership for nearly five decades.
Although Gaza continues to top the agenda of regional cooperation between Egypt and the United States, considering the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians and fear of regional escalation, the two countries are deeply engaged in the effort to settle several other volatile conflicts, especially on the borders with Egypt, namely Sudan and Libya, as well as the security of the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa and Iran.
While all those conflicts are certainly a priority for Egypt, the dispute with Ethiopia over the GERD – ongoing for more than 15 years – is a matter of life and death for the Egyptian people, the Nile being practically the only source of drinking water for over 100 million inhabitants of a country that is 95 per cent desert, unlike the situation in Ethiopia or Sudan.
In his response to Trump’s letter, President Al-Sisi valued Trump’s continued attention to the central importance of the Nile issue for Egypt, dating back to his first term in office between 2017 and 2021. Up until the last months of Trump’s first term, he had tasked his top officials with working out an agreement among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to settle the dispute once and for all, encouraging increased cooperation among the three countries.
Egypt took part in those US-mediated talks in good faith and offered a variety of proposals based on its expertise to reach a balance between Ethiopia’s right to use all its resources to help achieve development and generate electricity, and the undisputed right of Egypt to maintain access to the level of water enshrined in several agreements signed between the two countries dating back to the beginning of the 20th century.
While Egypt actually signed the US-mediated agreement reached after months of lengthy negotiations, the Ethiopian delegation simply decided not to show up. Since then, the Ethiopian government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has resumed its tactics of procrastination, requesting renewed negotiations while practically proceeding on the ground in finishing the GERD project and disregarding Egypt and Sudan’s legitimate rights.
In his response to Trump’s letter, President Al-Sisi rightly described the Nile as “the lifeline of the Egyptian people.” He affirmed Egypt’s commitment to serious and constructive cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, based on the principles of international law, in a manner that achieves shared interests without causing harm to any party. “These are the constants upon which the Egyptian position is founded,” Al-Sisi stated, underscoring Egypt’s support for Trump’s efforts, and the intention to continue working closely with him in the coming phase.
Meanwhile, Trump’s letter reflected a clear understanding of the complexities of the disagreement over the GERD and where Egypt stands. He very rightly noted that “no state in this region should unilaterally control the precious resources of the Nile, and disadvantage its neighbours in the process.” That has been Egypt’s principled stand since it agreed to take part in endless rounds of negotiations with Ethiopia, all out of the true and sincere desire to maintain good relations with Addis Ababa as well as all other Nile Basin African countries. Any observer of Egypt’s foreign policy since Sisi took office in 2014 will undoubtedly note that strengthening ties and cooperation with the African continent have been among the government’s top priorities.
Egypt has basically been asking for what the US president suggested in his letter to Al-Sisi on Friday: the need to use the right technical expertise to guarantee predictable water releases during droughts and prolonged dry years for Egypt and Sudan, while allowing Ethiopia to generate very substantial amounts of electricity. However, Ethiopia has stubbornly refused all sorts of technical proposals to ensure Egypt doesn’t have to risk access to the drinking water it cannot do without, or remain at the mercy of unilateral decisions by Addis Ababa.
Instead, the Ethiopian government used the GERD issue as a false rallying cry to overcome its own internal problems and failed policies, all while repeating baseless allegations about Egypt’s desire to enforce agreements reached during the colonial era aimed at depriving the Ethiopian people of their right to development and prosperity.
Worse, Ahmed’s government has turned into a source of tension in the Horn of Africa by coordinating with Israel to recognise the false independence of a breakaway Somali region, known as Somaliland, and creating military bases there. Trump’s efforts are needed to reduce tensions on that front and restrain Addis Ababa from threatening the independence and territorial integrity of the State of Somalia and its internationally recognised government.
While pursuing peaceful relations based on respect and international law with all neighbouring countries as well as the region and the world has been a key feature Egypt’s foreign policy, Cairo has also made it clear that it cannot compromise on matters related to its national security such as the Nile. Egypt will continue to pursue all available options to protect its legitimate right to Nile water.
Making use of the close and strategic ties between Egypt and the United States, as well as the trust between Sisi and Trump, Cairo intends to cooperate fully to resolve the dispute. This will also be vital to the process of settling other regional conflicts the two countries are cooperating on.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 22 January, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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