Kenya, Egypt sign defense cooperation agreement

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya announced Wednesday that it has signed a technical agreement on defense cooperation with Egypt.

In a statement, Kenya’s Defense Ministry noted that Defense Minister Monica Juma and Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Mohamed Farid Hegazy met earlier in the day and signed the pact.

“During the bilateral defense talks, the parties signed a Technical Agreement on Defense Cooperation aimed at deepening partnership in matters of mutual benefit,” said the ministry.

The ministry did not issue further details on what the agreement entails, although similar agreements have been signed in the past with other East African countries located in or around the Nile Basin.

In March, Egypt and Sudan signed an agreement promising mutual benefits in matters concerning national security and military cooperation. Egypt also signed similar agreements with Burundi and Uganda in April.

The latest agreement comes amid high tensions along the Nile Basin at a time when Ethiopia plans to kick off the second phase of filling its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) located along the Nile.