Farmers from the Abu Simbel region in Egypt hold over 200 tourists hostage to protest inadequate irrigation water. The farmers capture the tourists after they visit nearby monuments, but release them after officials agree to a temporary release of water.
Public protests over drinking and irrigation water shortages take place across Egypt. Several protests turn violent: in Beni Suef, one person is killed and many injured during a conflict over irrigation water; in Minya, villagers clash with officials over water shortages and water pollution; in Faiyum, hundreds of people protesting water shortages block a highway and set fires.
Somali Al Shabaab insurgents poison a well and damage water infrastructure near the port city of Kismayo, Somalia. Insurgents are fighting against Kenyan peacekeeping troops participating in the African Union mission in Somalia.
Violence, including several deaths, occurs during disputes over access to water in the poorest slums around Nairobi, Kenya.
Uzbekistan cuts natural gas deliveries to Tajikistan in retaliation over a Tajik hydroelectric dam which Uzbeks say will disrupt water supplies. Gas flows resumed after a new contract is signed.
Tensions escalate over two proposed dams in central Asia: Kambarata-1 in Kyrgyzstan and the Rogun Dam in Tajikistan. These dams could affect water supplies in the downstream nations of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan’s president, Islam Karimov, says the dams could cause “not just serious confrontation, but even wars.”
A car bomb thought to be targeted at a community water supply detonates near an aqueduct. No group claims responsibility, however Colombian officials attributed it to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
A water station in Bir al-Abd town is attacked. No one is reported injured or killed. The attackers claim that the water station was built on their lands.
Employees of the private company Assam Rifles are escorting a water tanker near the Manipur-Myanmar border when they are attacked with a remotely-detonated bomb. No one is reported injured, however the water tanker is damaged.
Four water project employees are kidnapped by assailants dressed as police officers. The outcome of the kidnapping is unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.