Shoukry visits South Africa in second stop of GERD tour

Shoukry continues Africa GERD tour: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry yesterday met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the second stop of his African tour to secure diplomatic backing in Egypt’s dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute, according to a ministry statement. Shoukry visited Burundi on Tuesday and is planning to head to Tanzania, DR Congo, South Sudan, Niger, and Rwanda in the coming days. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi spoke by phone on Tuesday with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta who signalled support for Egypt. Foreign ministry officials this week visited Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania after Shoukry toured several European and Arab capitals to rally support for Egypt’s position in the dispute.