The difference in views between Ethiopia and Egypt on how to break the deadlock in talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has once again emerged.
While Addis Ababa wants the African Union’s “unproductive” sponsorship of the negotiations, Egypt demands the support of the international community to resolve the matter in a way that achieves all parties’ interests.
The massive $4.2 billion dam, set to be the largest hydro-electric scheme in Africa, has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011.
Cairo has reiterated its demand that Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reach a legally-binding agreement to fill and operate the dam.
As part of its efforts to mobilize international support for its “existential” issue, Egypt organized the fifth Cairo Water Week during the period between Oct 16 and 19.
Representatives of 70 countries, including 16 ministerial delegations, 54 official delegations, and 66 international organizations are taking part in the event, with a total of more than a thousand participants.
The conference focuses on water crises across the world and ways to address them.
According to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the country’s water resources are no longer able to meet the population’s needs.
He explained in his opening speech on Sunday that his country is facing three intertwined challenges, namely water, food security, and climate change.
“Egypt is one the world’s most arid countries and relies almost exclusively on the Nile River for its renewable water resources, about 80% of which are used by the agriculture sector,” Sisi stated, noting that the sector represents the source of livelihood for more than 60 million people (half of Egypt’s population).
Sisi stated that although Cairo has adopted a policy to rationalize water consumption by reusing irrigation water, making the overall efficiency rate in Egypt one of the highest in Africa, yet it is still unable to meet its people’s needs.
He pointed out that the impact of climate change exacerbates water scarcity on the country’s agricultural lands, which are affected by the adverse consequences of climate change within its borders and throughout the Nile Basin countries, as Egypt is a downstream country.
“Given all this, it was necessary for Egypt to adopt a comprehensive approach to successfully address water and food security challenges that are associated with climate change, considering it a matter of national security.”
At the regional level, Sisi affirmed that Cairo has always been a pioneer in advancing the rules and principles of international law regarding shared watercourses, primarily cooperation and consultation to avoid causing harm.
He said it comes in line with the management of transboundary water resources, adding that these are the absolute rules and principles to ensure the equitable and shared utilization of these resources.
“Egypt’s entrenched vision is to work together with a focus on establishing and sharing prosperity, instead of competition and rivalry, which lead to sharing impoverishment and instability.”
Realizing the gravity of the issue and given its existential importance to Cairo, Sisi renewed his country’s commitment to exerting utmost efforts to settle the dam dispute in a manner that achieves the interests of all parties.
He further called on the international community to exert maximum and concerted efforts to achieve this just goal.
The last round of talks between the three countries in Kinshasa ended in early April 2021 with no progress made, prompting Cairo to protest to the UN Security Council and demand international partners to pressure Addis Ababa to agree to sign an agreement that guarantees the rights of the downstream countries.
Addis Ababa deems GERD essential for the electrification and development of Africa's second most populous country.
But Cairo and Khartoum fear it could threaten their access to vital Nile waters and have demanded a written agreement between the three countries on the dam's filling and operation.
Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held talks on Saturday with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Burhan announced at the end of the talks that reaching an agreement with Ethiopia on GERD is “possible.”
Ahmed, for his part, stressed that the GERD project will yield great benefits to Sudan and underlined his country's commitment to addressing the issue within the African framework
