BBC News Middle East

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Egypt and Sudan have once again called for international mediation to end a long-running dispute over the construction of Ethiopia's dam on the River Nile.

Both countries fear the dam could affect their water supply.

The call came as the Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was on a visit to Sudan for the first time since the overthrow of its former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

During his visit to Khartoum Mr Sisi met Sudan’s civilian and military leaders.

The fact that these were separate meetings points to the somewhat awkward relationship between the different personalities in Sudan's transitional administration.

But it seems they all agreed on one key issue: Ethiopia’s controversial dam.

In a statement after the talks, Egypt and Sudan called for a new round of dialogue with an expanded mediation team to include officials from the African Union, the United States, the EU and the UN.

They said an agreement had to be reached before Ethiopia starts the next stage of filling the dam's huge reservoir, which is expected to begin in June or July.

While Ethiopia says it is willing to keep talking, it wants to stick to the dialogue organised by the African Union and does not want to involve these additional international mediators. So for now the dispute rumbles on.

Egypt has long opposed the construction of the dam because it relies so heavily on the water from the Nile. It’s possible that Sudan could benefit from it though – experts say there would be less flooding and Sudan could get electricity in return.

But in recent months Khartoum has hardened its position taking Egypt’s side.

With the two countries signing military agreements and forming closer and closer ties this could increase the pressure on Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Read more:

• Ethiopia's River Nile dam: How it will be filled
• Egypt-Ethiopia row: The trouble over a giant Nile dam

AFPCopyright: AFP

France’s admission about the abduction and murder of Algerians during the war of independence is a big step but it is not enough, according to French historian Fabrice Riceputi.

It is a huge moment for the grandchildren of lawyer Ali Boumendjel, who were received by French President Emmanuel Macron to hear the truth about the assassination of their grandfather.

His widow Malika Boumendjel, who fought for decades for the truth about her husband’s disappearance rejecting the French official account of suicide, passed away last year aged 101 without hearing the acknowledgement she waited for all her life.

For Riceputi a rexamination of the French colonial rule in Algeria should not be restricted to "emblematic figures" such Maurice Audin and Ali Boumendjel.

The French army in Algeria adopted since 1957 the technique of "forced disappearance" as a systematic method to crush the nationalists, according to Mr Riceputi.

It consisted of abducting, murdering and disposing of the body of any Algerian they suspect of having links with the FLN which led the war for independence.

There were tens of thousands in the capital city, Algiers and many more throughout the country, he says.

It was a "system designed to terrify the population" and silence dissidents and supporters of independence, the historian says.

It has also left dozens of thousands of families and generations of their descendants suffering decades of emotional and psychological trauma.

Mr Riceputi believes that the French authorities are avoiding the essence of the truth through these "selected" and "high-profile" admissions.

What Mr Macron is currently doing, according to him, is "distributing acknowledgements" to the far right here and to the Algerians there, seeking to please all parties.

In 2017 while a presidential candidate, Mr Macron described colonialism as a "war crime" that would be prosecuted nowadays but later fell short of the apology Algerians have been demanding.

The routine torture and murder of Algerian civilians by the French army during the seven-year war that some say claimed 1.5 million Algerian lives has been hushed up for decades.

Indeed, France has never even recognized the existence of a "war" in Algeria. Until 1999 they have always called it the "events" or "troubles" of Algiers. The atrocities committed by their army were described as "operations to maintain order".

Algeria is preparing a law which would strip the nationality of its citizens who join, finance or glorify a terrorist organisation abroad.

The justice minister outlined the proposed changes during a cabinet meeting, reports the state-run news agency APS.

Reuters news agency quotes the prime minister's office as saying that the new law would remain compatible with international conventions and guarantee the right to appeal.

The authorities, however, appear to have not given any reason for the amendment.