TENSIONS WITH ETHIOPIA RISE: Ethiopia has officially blamed Egypt, Eritrea, and other states of “arming, training and funding” groups that it blames for a wave of protests and violence in regions around its capital Addis Ababa,” Reuters reported. Government spokesman Getachew Reda said “There are countries which are directly involved in arming, financing and training these elements … We have to be very careful not to necessarily blame one government or another. There are all kinds of elements in the Egyptian political establishment which may or may not necessarily be directly linked with the Egyptian government.”

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid responded by reiterating Egypt’s respect for Ethiopian sovereignty and its refusal to meddle with its domestic issues. The Ministry’s statement also added that there is direct contact between the two governments currently to stress the importance of maintaining positive relations between the two countries.