Egypt in May 2026: the most important developments in politics
Egypt's politics in May 2026 were dominated by foreign diplomacy. On May 21 President Sisi held talks in Cairo with the foreign ministers of Algeria and Tunisia on the Libya crisis, focusing on regional stability and political solutions. Earlier, on May 18, Egypt hosted the Libyan Parliament Speaker, who thanked Egypt for its support, and commander Khalifa Haftar also thanked Egypt and its leadership.
Egypt worked to reduce tensions linked to Iran and the Gulf. Sisi condemned the Iranian attack on the United Arab Emirates and visited the UAE and Oman on May 7 and 8 in a show of solidarity. Egypt's foreign minister held talks on de-escalation with Gulf counterparts, a US envoy and officials from Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran. On May 19 he described Egypt's role in facilitating US-Iran nuclear negotiations, and on May 23 Sisi urged seizing the chance for a US-Iran deal in a call with President Trump and regional leaders. On May 26 the Iranian president thanked Egypt for mediating with the United States.
Egypt also engaged Africa and France. President Macron visited Egypt on May 9 and inaugurated the new Senghor University campus in Alexandria with Sisi. The two men then attended the Africa-France summit in Nairobi, where Egypt announced $100 million for African water projects. Egypt agreed cooperation with Uganda and Tanzania on the Nile, and its foreign minister visited Eritrea to sign a maritime transport agreement.
On Israel, Egypt condemned Itamar Ben-Gvir's storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and said on May 20 that relations with Israel had been affected by what it called aggressive Israeli policies. It sent aid to Gaza, including 4,000 tons, and on May 30 warned that escalation in Gaza threatens the ceasefire. Ethiopia accused Egypt of blocking its Red Sea access, and Egypt rejected attempts to internationalise or militarise the Red Sea.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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