President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s meeting yesterday with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki is topping coverage of Egypt in the international press this morning. Afwerki’s visit comes against the backdrop of Egypt’s rising tensions with Sudan and Ethiopia over territorial disputes and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the Associated Press notes.

De-escalation in the “Cold War on the Nile”: Among the interesting pieces we’ve read on the issue is one by Giorgio Cafiero for Al-Monitor where he says that the future of relations between Egypt and Sudan will depend largely on water issues, among the other lingering issues between the two countries. “Failure to mend fences will ultimately make it increasingly difficult for the two to address major regional challenges facing both of them, such as extremism, fast population growth, climate change and transformation of industries. Yet if Cairo and Khartoum can pursue a diplomatic course of action, such cooperation could exemplify the ability of governments worldwide to overcome political tensions in pursuit of peace and good neighborly ties,” Cafiero writes.

Also worth a quick skim this morning:

• Egypt is constructing its largest water purification plant to better face future threats of shortages, The Associated Press reports.
• Classism, bigotry: Facebook groups connecting Egyptian housewives with foreign domestic workers highlight classism and bigotry in Egypt, Miranda Hall writes for OpenDemocracy.
• Former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik abandoned his bid following threats of a smear campaign against him and his family, sources alleged to the Middle East Eye.
• The Ikhwan are trying to “make their own imaginary religious country on the Egyptian blood,” Jesuit Father William Sidhom tells Crux. “They want to make things bad between Egyptian Muslims and Christians to create a distortion, because this is the only way to break Egypt,” he says.
• Sophie Lam asks when the UK will resume flights to Sharm El Sheikh, in a piece for iNews.