Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Rebuts “Red Sea Littoral States Claim”

Addis Ababa, July 25, 2026 (FMC) — Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Tibor Nagy, has rebuffed repeated assertions by Egypt and Eritrea that only Red Sea littoral states have the authority to determine issues related to Red Sea maritime security and governance.

Ambassador Nagy argued that if, as Egypt and Eritrea maintain, only littoral states should have a say on Red Sea affairs, then logically only countries that contribute water to the Nile should determine its utilization.

The US diplomat and professor made the remark in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “So if as Egypt and Eritrea say only littoral states have anything to say about Red Sea, then logically only nations which put water into the Nile can determine its use.”

The remark addresses the position of downstream Nile Basin countries that seek to influence upstream water developments while simultaneously attempting to exclude non-coastal countries from discussions on Red Sea maritime security.

The commentary comes amid ongoing discussions regarding sovereign access to sea outlets in the Horn of Africa and the equitable utilization of transboundary water resources in the Nile Basin.