Egypt Appeals to UNSC: Ethiopia’s Actions Threaten Regional Stability

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) (X)

Egypt has heightened its conflict with Ethiopia regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), asking the UN Security Council to address what it calls Addis Ababa’s “unilateral actions” that it believes endanger regional stability.
The two countries have been at odds for years over the dam, which Ethiopia has been building since 2011 on the Blue Nile River, near the Sudanese border. Egypt argues the project affects its water supply.
On Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty sent a letter to the UN Security Council President, criticizing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s recent comments about the dam’s fifth filling phase, which started in July.
Egypt’s letter rejected Ethiopia’s actions as violations of international law and a breach of a 2015 agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, as well as a 2021 Security Council statement.
The letter condemned Abiy Ahmed’s remarks about storing more Blue Nile water this year and finishing the dam’s construction, calling them unacceptable and disruptive to regional stability. Egypt is concerned that Ethiopia’s approach undermines efforts to promote cooperation in the region.
Last Monday, Abiy Ahmed announced that the dam’s construction would be finished by December. He stated that the dam’s reservoir currently holds “62.5 billion cubic meters” of water, expecting this to increase to between 70 and 71 billion cubic meters by December, out of a total capacity of 74 billion cubic meters.
Egypt and Sudan are seeking a legally binding agreement to manage the dam’s filling and operation without harming their water shares.
This is not Egypt's first appeal to the Security Council over the dam. The country previously raised concerns in October after Ethiopia completed the fourth filling of the dam, and the Security Council had called for renewed negotiations under the African Union’s guidance in September 2021.